'Deprived' mothers at risk of still birth and infant death

Stopping smoking during pregnancy could stop a social divide in the number of stillbirths and infant deaths.

The research published in the British Medical Journal found that socio-economic inequalities meant that ‘deprived’ mothers were more likely to smoke and give birth to pre-term or low birth weight babies.

The ‘least deprived’ mothers were more likely to be older and non smokers.

Deprived mothers were 56 per cent more likely to have a still birth and 72 per cent more likely to suffer an infant death.

The research, led by Ron Gray at the University of Oxford concludes that tackling mothers who smoke can reduce both the infant’s exposure to deadly toxins both pre and post-natally.