New Evidence Confirms Link Between Low-Birthweight Babies and Smoking

By Daniel Gursky

WASHINGTON--Extensive new data from federal health officials confirm what other smaller studies have shown: Pregnant women who smoke are much more likely than nonsmokers to deliver low-birthweight babies.

Low birthweight, the National Center for Health Statistics points out, is the single most important predictor of infant mortality and has been linked to such other severe disabilities as mental retardation and cerebral palsy.

The national center last week released two reports that offer a mixed picture of infant health. While the provisional infant-mortality rate for 1991 dropped 2 percent, to 8.9 per 1,000 live births, the proportion of low-birthweight babies reached its...