Credits: FILE PHOTO Researchers at Emory University and the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention looked at cigarette
smoking among 225,554 women who gave birth between 2000 and 2005
in 29 states, plus New York City. It's estimated 23% of women
enter pregnancy as smokers, but the study found increasing taxes
and a state's smoke-free policies helped women kick the habit
and prevented them from lighting up again until, on average,
four months after delivery. "We found that a $1 increase in
cigarette taxes increases the quit rate among pregnant women
from 44.1% to 48.9%, a sizable effect," researcher E. Kathleen
Adams said in a release about the study. "Tax policies appear to
be effective in keeping these women from relapsing in the first
few months postpartum, and the implementation of a full
workplace smoke-free policy also increases quits." A full ban on
smoking at private worksites increased the probability of
quitting smoking during pregnancy by four to five percentage
points. The study was published o