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(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- A new study from the National Institute of Drug Abuse is the first to reveal a greater connection between early childhood behavior problems and smoking during pregnancy.
Studies in the past have linked teenage behavioral issues with smoking during pregnancy, but researchers in the recent study observed toddlers between ages 12 months to 24 months. The group consisted of 93 children, 47 percent of whom were exposed to cigarettes before birth.
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Behavioral problems became evident in the range of 18 months to 24 months in the children of mothers who smoked while pregnant. While the behavior troubles of toddlers who were not exposed remained consistent, those toddlers exposed had heightened behavior problems between that time.
Lauren Wakschlag, Ph.D., of the University of Illinois at Chicago, says, "By characterizing how disruptive behavior unfolds in exposed children in the first years of life, we also highlight a window of opportunity for interventions to alter the course of these problems and prevent the development of serious and chronic disruptive behavior disorders in children at risk."
She and colleagues considered the behavior differences in the toddlers who were exposed to cigarettes and those not exposed and also considered what types of unruly actions observed might be correlated with exposure.
Wakschlag said the data does not prove exposure to cigarettes is the source of the behavioral problems observed, but she noted the research does "move us one step closer to answering this question by generating ideas regarding what areas of the brain might be affected by exposure."
This article was reported by Ivanhoe.com, who offers Medical Alerts by e-mail every day of the week. To subscribe, go to: http://www.ivanhoe.com/newsalert/.
SOURCE: Child Development, 2006;77:1-10
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