One in nine pregnant women in Shropshire were smokers when they gave birth last year
One in nine pregnant women in Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin were smokers at the time of delivery last year, new figures show.
NHS England figures for the former NHS Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin CCG show 496 of 4,333 mothers were smokers at time of delivery in 2022 to 2023.
Nationally, 8.8 per cent of pregnant women were smoking at time of delivery in 2022 to 2023 – a slight fall from 9.1 per cent the year before – but above the national ambition of 6 per cent or less.
It comes as the Smoking in Pregnancy Challenge Group forecast the Government's target to reduce rates of maternal smoking to 6 per cent by 2022 will only be met in 2032.
Professor Linda Bauld, co-chair of the Smoking in Pregnancy Challenge Group, said helping more mums-to-be quit smoking spares dozens of families from losing their baby to stillbirth or miscarriage.
