Cigarette smoking during the last 3 months of pregnancy among women who gave birth to live infants--Maine, 1988-1997.

Cigarette smoking during pregnancy is associated with adverse birth outcomes (e.g., low birthweight and preterm delivery). The adverse effect of smoking on birthweight occurs primarily during the last trimester of pregnancy. To study smoking prevalence over time among women who gave birth to live infants in Maine, CDC and the Maine Department of Human Services (MDHS) analyzed self-reported data from the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) collected during 1988-1997. This report summarizes the results of this analysis, which indicate that despite the overall decline in smoking prevalence in Maine among women who gave birth to live infants, smoking prevalence remains high during the last 3 months of pregnancy among young women and low-income women, particularly those participating in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC).