Anna posted on February 17, 2012 10:30
NHS figures have revealed a divide between then number of pregnant smokers in the north of England, opposed to the south.
The NHS Information Centre collects statistics about health and sickness in the UK and found that in the last three months of 2011, 20% of women who gave birth in the north east were smokers.
The region of England with the fewest pregnant smokers was London, where just 6% of women smoked during the period in which they gave birth.
In Blackpool, 30% of women classed themselves as smokers when they gave birth. In Brent (London), the figure was just under 3%.
All regions in the north had higher percentages of pregnant women smokers than southern regions.
Smoking during pregnancy carries the risk of low birth weight and prematurity and its related health problems. Exposure to secondhand smoke during childhood also increasesd the risk of illnesses from SIDS to asthma.
The average for England is 13.4%, a reduction on previous years. The government's health plans include reducing this figure to 11% by 2015.
Find out more:
Read the BBC News article, 'More pregnant women in northern England smoke'.