Study shows link between maternal marijuana use and low birth weight

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-04/lhri-ssl042717.php

Public Release: 27-Apr-2017
Study shows link between maternal marijuana use and low birth weight
Women who used marijuana while pregnant were almost three times more likely to have an infant with low birth weight
Lawson Health Research Institute

In a new study, researchers in London, Ontario found that women who used marijuana while pregnant were almost three times more likely to have an infant with low birth weight than women who did not use marijuana.

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Maternal amphetamine use, chronic hypertension and smoking were identified as other top risk factors for low birth weight. The study also examined predictors of preterm birth, which included previously diagnosed diabetes, maternal narcotic use and insulin-controlled gestational diabetes.

"Low birth weight and preterm birth are serious public health problems. Both are associated with a higher risk of infant mortality," says principal investigator Dr. Jamie Seabrook, a Lawson associate scientist; and professor at Brescia University College, an affiliate of Western University, and Western University's Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry.

Low birth weight can lead to respiratory problems and asthma, and poor cognitive development during childhood. It also increases an infant's risk of developing type 2 diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular disease later in life. Preterm birth can cause childhood neurologic disability, as well as long-term medical consequences including respiratory, gastrointestinal and cardiovascular diseases and decreased immunity.

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The objective of the study was to determine the relationship between socioeconomic status and adverse birth outcomes, particularly low birth weight and preterm birth, in Southwestern Ontario.

However, they found that socioeconomic status had little influence on birth outcomes.

"There is a widely-held view that socioeconomic status is highly associated with low birth weight and preterm birth. However, there have been few population-based studies investigating this relationship in Canada. Most of this research has come from other developed countries, particularly the United States," says Dr. Seabrook, who is also a Faculty Associate at Western's Human Environments Analysis Laboratory. "It's possible that Canada's universal health care system provides a larger safety net for these mothers and their children."

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tags: drug use, drug abuse