Does mental health status relate to smoking status in pregnant women ages 18-34?

Introduction: Mental health issues and smoking can negatively impact a pregnant mother and her baby. The purpose of this study was to assess whether mental health status is related to smoking status in pregnant women ages 18-34. Methods: This cross-sectional analysis used 2017 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey (BRFSS) data for pregnant women ages 18-34 from Florida (N=118), Minnesota (N=87), Nebraska (N=80), New York (N=65), and Utah (N=82). Combined state data in ordered logistic regression analysis assessed the relationship between mental health status and tobacco use, while controlling for health-related conditions, demographic factors, socioeconomic factors, and state. Results: Very few of the participants reported current smoking (2-9%) and one-fourth to one half reported mental health issues in the past 30 days (26-50%). Adjusted results show moderate mental health was significantly related to smoking status and depression was significantly related to smoking status with large effect sizes. Conclusions: Mental health status and depression are highly related to smoking status in pregnant women ages 18-34. Clinicians in obstetrics and gynecology may expect to see a very low proportion of pregnant women who smoke and one quarter to one half of pregnant women who report low to moderate mental health in the past 30 days. Pregnant women should be screened for both mental health status and tobacco use at each visit, educated on the risk of smoking and importance of good mental health during pregnancy, and provided mental health and smoking cessation resources as needed.