Study: Smoking during pregnancy may not cause ADHD in children
Apr 08, 2022
New Delhi, Apr 08 (ANI): Breaking the myth, a new systematic review and meta-analysis led by University of Bristol researchers shows that maternal prenatal smoking is associated with offspring attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) but is unlikely to be the cause of it. The study was published in the scientific journal Addiction. Several studies have indicated that maternal smoking during pregnancy may contribute to offspring ADHD; however, it is unclear from those studies whether this reflects a true causal effect or is the result of confounding factors such as socioeconomic position, education, income and maternal age. This new review attempted to find an answer to that question. The review looked at 46 prior studies that assessed the association between maternal prenatal smoking and offspring ADHD diagnosis. The review specifically included studies accounting for genetic effects, in addition to conventional approaches.