Using smokeless tobacco products during pregnancy linked to risk of lower birthweight

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2025-01-06 14:47

Australia; VIC; ACT

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Using smokeless tobacco products during pregnancy could increase the risk of a low birth weight, according to Australian researchers who say low birth weight can be a predictor for a range of health problems later in life. The researchers combined the results of 33 studies looking at the impact of various smokeless tobacco products including snuff, betel nut and pituri, made from a native Australian plant. The researchers say overall, smokeless tobacco use during pregnancy was linked to lower birth weight despite differences between the studies. They say pregnant women should be given support to quit or cut down on the use of smokeless tobacco products, and more research is needed on the potential health impacts, especially for products including pituri that are used by Indigenous peoples and have been the subject of very little research so far.