Incidence of asthma in children of mothers who smoke during pregnancy

Abstract

Overview: This review challenges whether smoking during pregnancy affects offspring after birth. When mothers smoke cigarettes during pregnancy, the developing foetus is exposed to several harmful chemicals that make up cigarettes. Such toxic substances travel through the umbilical cord and straight into the organ systems of the unborn child. A particular concern is the harm done on the respiratory system as the infant’s lung function can be compromised before birth, and this makes the child susceptible to early wheezing and asthma (Better Health Channel, 2012). The Research Question: Does maternal smoking during pregnancy increase the incidence of asthma in children? PICO Elements: The population is children, the intervention is mothers smoking during pregnancy, while the comparison is non-smoking mothers, and the overall outcome is the incidence of asthma. Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria Applied: The inclusion criteria included offspring from birth to the age of 16, mothers who smoked cigarettes and tobacco containing products during pregnancy, non-smoking mothers as a comparison, and the incidence of asthma because of smoking during pregnancy. All studies had to be peer reviewed. Outcome of the Search: Five key articles were chosen, two being Meta-Analyses, another two were Cohort Studies and the final one was a Web-based Cross-Sectional Study, after going through the selection process. Methods Used: Alternative keywords for the PICO elements were found using a thesaurus, combined with Boolean operators, widened the search to ensure that all possible articles would be shown. The results were used in multiple search databases and all the articles were screened through limiters and the PRISMA checklist. Results: Statistical significance was found in four out of the five studies chosen; this confirms that smoking cigarettes during pregnancy has detrimental effects on the likelihood of asthma in offspring. However, none of the studies specified the type of cigarettes used, although most of them did mention the number of cigarettes smoked. Conclusion: This literature review concluded that there is indeed a detrimental link from smoking during pregnancy and the incidence of asthma. Although, more studies are required on the type of cigarettes smoked. Implications and Recommendations: Screening of carbon monoxide should be implemented locally to measure CO emissions in parents, continuous education starting in primary school will inform the public on the dangers of smoking. Additionally, it's crucial to educate expectant parents about the risks of smoking during prenatal and postnatal visits. However, funding and resources are needed to begin this change for a healthier future generation.