Bone mineral content of healthy, full-term neonates. Effect of race, gender, and maternal cigarette smoking.

In 238 healthy, full-term infants, we evaluated the effects of race, gender, and maternal cigarette smoking on the newborn radial bone mineral content. Sixty-one percent of the infants were male and 39% were female; 161 of 238 mothers were nonsmokers and 77 mothers were cigarette smokers. Bone mineral content was significantly correlated with birth weight, length, and head circumference. There were no significant race- and gender-related differences in neonatal bone mineral content. There was no significant difference in the bone mineral content, bone width, and bone density of the newborn at the left distal-third radius site among the infants of smokers compared with those of nonsmokers, and there was no correlation between neonatal bone mineral content and the number of cigarettes reportedly smoked per day by the mother.