Children exposed to tobacco in the womb face higher risk of learning problems

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2024-02-14 03:00

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Children who were exposed to tobacco in the womb are more likely to have language and memory development problems as they grow up, according to international research. The researchers recruited a group of over 11,000 children aged 9-10 to do a series of tests to measure their learning skills, including reading, memory, and pattern processing tests and brain scans. The children were then tested a second time at age 11-12. Among those children were 1,607 whose mothers had used tobacco while pregnant with them, and the researchers say these children were likely to have lower scores on reading, memory and vocabulary tests at both time points. They say brain scans also showed patterns of differences in various brain regions for the children exposed to tobacco.