Scotland Study Reveals Impact Of Second-Hand Smoke On Pregnancy

By Dr. Brian McDonough, Medical Editor

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - There has been a great deal of attention paid to the introduction of national, comprehensive smoke-free legislation in Scotland.

The country has gained worldwide attention for its efforts to ban smoking in public places which started in 2006.

Now there is news that it is linked with significant decline in preterm delivery and small-for-dates infants, according to a new study.

The numbers in the study were quite strong. There was a fall from 25.4% pre-ban to 18.8% post-ban in the number of mothers who smoked. Another way of looking at it was there was a significant drop of ten percent in overall preterm deliveries.

Here is what I find as the most interesting part of the report. The authors found that these significant reductions occurred both in mothers who smoked and those who had never smoked, emphasizing the impact on health of second-hand smoke.