Inequalities in smoking among pregnant women in North West London

Background London has the lowest smoking prevalence among pregnant women in England. However, it was unclear whether the low overall prevalence masked inequalities. This study investigated the prevalence of smoking among pregnant women in North West London stratified by ethnicity and deprivation. Methods Data regarding smoking status, ethnicity and deprivation were extracted from electronic health records collected by maternity services at Imperial Healthcare NHS Trust between January 2020 and August 2022. Results A total of 25 231 women were included in this study. At the time of booking of antenatal care (mean of 12 weeks), 4% of women were current smokers, 17% were ex-smokers and 78% never smokers. There were marked differences in the smoking prevalence between ethnic groups. Women of Mixed-White and Black Caribbean ethnicity and White Irish women had the highest prevalence of smoking (12 and 9%, respectively). There was an over 4-fold increase in the prevalence of smoking between the most and the least deprived groups (5.6 versus 1.3%). Conclusions Even in a population with an overall low prevalence of smoking in pregnancy, women experiencing deprivation and from certain ethnic backgrounds have a high smoking prevalence and hence are the most likely to benefit from smoking cessation interventions.

Automated summary

This study investigated the relationship between smoking prevalence among pregnant women in North West London and ethnicity and deprivation. The study found that even in a population with an overall low smoking prevalence, women from deprived backgrounds and certain ethnic groups had higher smoking rates, indicating the importance of smoking cessation interventions for these populations.