Number of pregnant smokers drops; Utah's rate among best

The number of pregnant smokers fell by 26 percent in the 1990s, the government reported. But hundreds of thousands still smoke while pregnant - and more teenage mothers are among them.

A study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found 13.6 percent of pregnant women smoked in 1996, down from 18.4 percent in 1990. The drop was paced mostly by strong declines in smoking by women in their 20s and 30s.But mothers-to-be ages 15 to 19 have the highest smoking rates during pregnancy, rates that actually inched up in recent years. The CDC said Thursday that 17.2 percent of pregnant teens smoked in 1996, up from 16.7 percent in 1994.

Smoking during pregnancy can cause babies to be born smaller, sicklier and at a higher risk of sudden infant death syndrome, or SIDS. Pregnant smokers are using fewer cigarettes: 33 percent smoked at least a half pack a day in 1996, down from 42 percent in 1990, the CDC said.

Four states and Washington, D.C., already have reached the government's goal of having no more than 10 percent of pregnant women who smoke by 2000. The states are Connecticut, Hawaii, Texas and Utah. Utah's rate was 9.3 percent. The CDC study was based on data collected from birth certificates in all but four states: California, Indiana, New York and South Dakota.