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Maternal smoking during pregnancy and offspring attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: a case–control study in Japan

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ADHD Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorders

Abstract

Although maternal smoking during pregnancy has been shown to be associated with an increased risk of offspring attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in Western countries, there is no empirical evidence in non-Caucasian. Purpose of the present study is to examine the relationship between maternal smoking during pregnancy and offspring ADHD in Japanese population. A case–control study design was adopted. A total of 90 pairs of children with ADHD and mothers as well as 270 corresponding control pairs were recruited throughout the study period. A psychiatrist interviewed all the mothers of children with ADHD and control children and elicited information regarding their lifestyles during pregnancy, including active and passive smoking or drinking habits, as well as psychosocial and perinatal factors. Diagnosis of ADHD was made by each physician in charge according to DSM-IV diagnostic criteria. Logistic regression analysis was used to calculate odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) with adjustments for other possible confounding factors. Maternal active smoking during pregnancy was associated with an approximately twofold increased risk of offspring ADHD, even after adjusting for socioeconomic and perinatal confounding factors (OR 1.8 95% CI 0.9–3.6). However, the association was obviously attenuated when factors regarding parental psychopathological vulnerability were controlled (OR 1.3 95% CI 0.6–2.9). On the other hand, maternal passive smoking during pregnancy failed to show any material association with ADHD. These results suggested that a significant part of the association between maternal smoking during pregnancy, and ADHD might be explained by genetic factors including parental psychopathological vulnerability.

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Acknowledgments

This work was financially supported by a research grant from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology of Japan (Grant No. 18590609) and from the Smoking Research Foundation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Hygiene, School of Medicine, Wakayama Medical University, 8-1-1 Kimiidera, Wakayama, 641-0012, Japan

    Kouichi Yoshimasu & Kazuhisa Miyashita

  2. Department of Preventive Medicine, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan

    Chikako Kiyohara

  3. Department of Pediatrics, Social Insrance Kinan Hospital, Wakayama, Japan

    Takaomi Minami

  4. Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Wakayama Medical University, Wakayama, Japan

    Norishige Yoshikawa

  5. Department of Pediatrics, Arita City Hospital, Wakayama, Japan

    Shogo Kihira

  6. Department of Neuropsychiatry, Osaka City General Hospital, Osaka, Japan

    Koji Toyonaga

  7. Wakayama Prefecture Children and Disabled Persons’ Guidance Center, Wakayama, Japan

    Akira Yamamoto

  8. Department of Neuropsychiatry, School of Medicine, Wakayama Medical University, Wakayama, Japan

    Kazuhiro Shinosaki

  9. Department of Neuropsychiatry, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan

    Hiroshi Yamashita

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  1. Kouichi Yoshimasu
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  2. Chikako Kiyohara
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  3. Takaomi Minami
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  4. Norishige Yoshikawa
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  5. Shogo Kihira
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  7. Akira Yamamoto
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  8. Kazuhiro Shinosaki
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  9. Hiroshi Yamashita
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  10. Kazuhisa Miyashita
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Consortia

The Wakayama ADHD Study Group

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Kouichi Yoshimasu.

Additional information

Members of the Wakayama ADHD Study Group are listed in the Appendix.

Appendix: Members of the Wakayama ADHD Study Group (in each affiliation)

Appendix: Members of the Wakayama ADHD Study Group (in each affiliation)

Nobuyuki Miyai, Kazuhisa Miyashita, Kouichi Yoshimasu † (Department of Hygiene, School of Medicine, Wakayama Medical University), Chikako Kiyohara (Department of Preventive Medicine, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University), Mina Booka, Asumi Higa, Genkichi Izumi, Takaomi Minami, Masakazu Miyawaki, Yuko Tsuda, Yoshinobu Tsuno, Tetsu Yoshimasu (Department of Pediatrics, Social Insrance Kinan Hospital), Shoichi Shibuta, Yuko Shima, Hiroyuki Suzuki, Takashi Takeuchi, Hiroko Togawa, Norishige Yoshikawa (Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Wakayama Medical University), Shogo Kihira (Department of Pediatrics, Arita City Hospital), Eiko Honaga, Hiroshi Sato, Koji Toyonaga, Hinako Yamaguchi (Department of Neuropsychiatry, Osaka City General Hospital), Aki Kohno, Daisuke Nakanishi, Hiromichi Nakashima, Hisami Nishida, Kazuyuki Ohtsuki, Akira Yamamoto, Tomoko Yoshioka (Mie Prefectural Asunaro Hospital for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry), Harumi Kose, Kazuhiro Shinosaki (Department of Neuropsychiatry, School of Medicine, Wakayama Medical University), Hiroshi Yamashita (Department of Neuropsychiatry, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University), Junzo Iida (School of Nursing, Nara Medical University), Yoshiro Ono (Wakayama Prefecture Children and Disabled Persons’ Guidance Center), Toshihiko Yanagawa (School of Health and Nursing Sciences, Wakayama Medical University), Toshiko Juri (Department of Pediatrics, Kainan City Hospital), and Akira Miyamoto (Wakayama Prefectural Nanki Welfare Center).

† Principal investigator.

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Yoshimasu, K., Kiyohara, C., Minami, T. et al. Maternal smoking during pregnancy and offspring attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: a case–control study in Japan. ADHD Atten Def Hyp Disord 1, 223–231 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12402-009-0015-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12402-009-0015-1

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