U.S. women still smoke while pregnant

In the U.S., 7% of women smoked while they were pregnant in 2016, the CDC reports. (ATNOYDUR/GETTY IMAGES/ISTOCKPHOTO)

Boy? Girl? Regular? Menthol? Despite known risks to both mom and her unborn baby, one in 14 women who gave birth in the U.S. in 2016 said they smoked while they were pregnant, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Findings, released on Wednesday and based on information on birth certificates reported by moms themselves, found that 7% of all expectant mothers smoked.

Even though it’s well-established that cigarette smoking during pregnancy has been associated with low birthweight, preterm birth and various birth defects.

Puffing tobacco differed by various factors, including age, education and location.

New Yorkers are giving up cigarettes in record numbers

• Women aged 20-24 were most likely to smoke cigarettes during pregnancy at 10.7%, while those over 45 were least likely at 2.0%.

• At 12.2%, the odds of smoking were highest among women with a high school diploma or GED, and at .4% lowest for women with a master’s degree or higher.

• At 25.1%, West Virginia had the most moms-to-be that smoked. At 1.6%, California had that fewest. New York and New Jersey each had a prevalence of less than 5%.

Any amount of smoking during pregnancy is too much,” Patrick Drake, senior author of the report and a demographer at the CDC's National Center for Health Statistics, told CNN

- ny news