Maternal smoking before and during pregnancy and offspring bone mineral density in early childhood: findings from the Southampton Women’s Survey
Authors' conclusion
Offspring of mothers who smoked before or during pregnancy had higher BMD, but this relationship may be partly mediated by higher childhood weight.
Study context
- Population
- Mother-offspring dyads in the Southampton Women's Survey; offspring DXA at birth, 4, 6–7 and 8–9 years
- Participants
- 1,966 mother-offspring dyads
- Exposure
- Maternal smoking before and during pregnancy vs no smoking
- Outcome
- Offspring standardised bone mineral density (BMD) (also BA, BMC, BMAD) by DXA, adjusted for maternal and offspring factors
- Follow-up
- Birth, 4, 6-7 and 8-9 years
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Offspring BMD, pre-pregnancy smoking
4 years: 0.218 SD
0.218
95% CI 0.062, 0.373
6-7 years: 0.133 SD
0.133
95% CI 0.004, 0.262
8-9 years: 0.167 SD
0.167
95% CI 0.017, 0.317
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
| Outcome | Pre-pregnancy smoking | Early pregnancy smoking | Late pregnancy smoking |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoking prevalence | 25.7% | 15.9% | 15.1% |
Other bone outcomes and pregnancy smoking
- BMAD had similar associations but not bone area (BA) or bone mineral content (BMC)
- Smoking in early or late pregnancy similarly associated
- Offspring of smokers in pregnancy lighter at birth but heavier at other ages; including weight weakened associations
Original publication
Maternal smoking before and during pregnancy and offspring bone mineral density in early childhood: findings from the Southampton Women’s Survey. Osteoporos Int. Published 2 July 2025. doi:10.
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