Objective: A comparison between on the prevalence of smoking during pregnancy in 1982 and that in 1993 in Pelotas, Southern Brazil.
Methodology: Cross-sectional study. All hospital deliveries in 1982 and 1993--corresponding to over 99% of all births in those years--were studied. A total of 6,011 and 5,304 mothers were interviewed, respectively.
Results: The prevalence of smoking during pregnancy showed a small decrease from 35.7% in 1982 to 33.5% in 1993 (p < 0.05). In the two years under study, family income and number of antenatal care visits were inversely associated with the prevalence of maternal smoking. The rate of stopping smoking during pregnancy was 20.6%.