Smoking Behaviors Before, During and After Pregnancy: Evidence from the U.K.∗

This paper investigates how pregnancy complications affect maternal smoking decisions before, during, and after pregnancy. Using data from the Millennium Cohort Study in the U.K., we estimate smoking participation and consumption in the Cragg “two-part” model, and show that bleeding problems (either in early or late weeks) decrease the probability of smoking, although they do not affect the quantity of cigarettes consumed by expectant mothers who smoke. In addition, using the sequential logit model, we find that pregnancy complications reinforce the cessation decision even after giving birth, especially among those who have experienced high blood pressure, vomiting, and/or anemia during pregnancy. Finally, we show evidence of differential smoking cessation decisions across different types of smokers. Our analysis contributes to the literature through studying the effects of specific complications during pregnancy on maternal behavioral decisions.