The effects of smoking on children might be apparent even before birth, a new study has found.
Researchers in the U.K. have found noticeable differences in the facial movements of unborn babies whose mothers smoke during pregnancy.
The study, published in the journal Acta Paediatrica by researchers from Durham and Lancaster universities, looked at ultrasound images of four fetuses whose mothers smoked an average of 14 cigarettes per day. Researchers found an increase in mouth movements compared to 16 other fetuses with non-smoking mothers.
One possible reason, the researchers suggested, was the fetal central nervous system not developing at the same rate in the children of smokers.
“Technology means we can now see what was previously hidden, revealing how smoking affects the development of the fetus in ways we did not realize,” said study co-author Brian Francis from Lancaster University. “This is yet further evidence of the negative effects of smoking in pregnancy.”’
The study used 4-D ultrasound technology -- essentially video sequences made from three-dimensional ultrasound images. The team looked at 80 different scans taken between 24 and 36 weeks of pregnancy to detect small mouth and touch movements.
The research affirmed other studies that showed smoking and other maternal stress factors affected the development of fetuses.
“Our findings concur with others that stress and depression have a significant impact on fetal movements, and need to be controlled for,” said lead researcher Nadja Reissland from Durham University. “But additionally these results point to the fact that nicotine exposure per se has an effect on fetal development over and above the effects of stress and depression.”
