Smoking and alcohol use among women in Russia: Dual risk for prenatal exposure

ABSTRACT

Alcohol consumption during pregnancy can produce adverse outcomes; maternal smoking compounds this risk. We examined prevalence of smoking and associations between smoking and alcohol use in Russian women of childbearing age (N = 648). Smoking was reported by 35% of nonpregnant and 14% of pregnant women. Smoking prevalence was higher (45%) among at-risk drinkers and those at risk for an alcohol-exposed pregnancy (AEP). In a multivariate model, smoking status and city of residence significantly predicted AEP risk. Pregnant women in urban locations were more likely to smoke. Smoking and alcohol misuse often co-occur among Russian women, presenting risk for dual prenatal exposure.

KEYWORDS:

• Alcohol
• nonpregnant women
• pregnant women
• Russia
• smoking
• tobacco

Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge the contributions of Karen Beckman, MD, Mark Chaffin, PhD, John Mulvihill, MD, and Mark Wolraich, MD, of OUHSC; and Jacqueline Bertrand, PhD, of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, for their consultation and support in conducting the international study. The authors want to thank graduate students from St. Petersburg State University, Nizhny Novgorod State Pedagogical University, and the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center who assisted with data collection and database management and all the women who volunteered to participate in the study.