Association Between Smoking During Pregnancy and Child's Birth Weight

Essay Instructions:

I'll send all documents you need after. the maximum word count is 1500, and no less than 1350 which is 10% of 1500.
You should use R studio to complete this scientific report, and there is a ppt that contains the link of R studio if you do not have it.
Also, the note ppt and there are 3 essential readings really really recommended.
Please take time to do it, it is necessary!
Week 1 lecture:
This week, we will learn about scientific methods and hypothesis testing. especially in biological anthropology. You will read articles analysing quantitative data and resting predictions. The aim of this session is for you to understand the basics of scientific testing. At the end of this half term, you will apply the knowledge you gain in the next few weeks and conduct your own scientific project
Specifically this week we will:
· Set out the course structure
· Introduce what is meant by scientific method
· Develop knowledge around hypothesis testing
· Apply these concepts by reading a scientific paper
Week 2:
Introduction to Quantitative Data and Statistics
Building on last week’s topics, we will dig deeper into:
· What is quantitative data
· How can we use basic statistics to answer questions from the data?
· Discuss the potential impacts of how data is collected
Week 3:
Developing the ideas around statistics we covered last week, this week we will:
· Use an analytical programme to run a series of statistical tests on real data
· Identify how these tests could be used in writing up your scientific report
Week 4:!!!! Important
Your Scientific Report analysis
Having learnt all the above, this week you will
· Run your analyses in the lab setting
· The tutors will be around to give you a hand if you need it!
· Start structuring your scientific report in line with the briefing guide you have been given
R analysis for your scientific report
You will start on your scientific report today, specifically focusing on your analysis. The question for your scientific report is, “What is the association between maternal smoking during pregnancy and children’s birth weight?” Data for your analysis is available under “Birth weight data for your scientific report project.”
The data description (including how it was collected) is available under “Dataset Description: Birth Weight Data.” This is an individually led session.
Your aims for today are the following. (Do not worry if you don’t finish everything today - you have until the 21st of February (13:00) to complete your scientific report):
OBSERVATIONS: Read through some background literature to understand the question. Some papers have been provided for you under “Background Reading.” However, you are free to search for your own articles. You may want to make notes onto your scientific report Word document, though this is up to you.
HYPOTHESES: Create your hypotheses. Save this onto your scientific report Word document.
ANALYSIS: Use R to create descriptive statistics. Refer to the WEEK 3 work book if you can’t remember how to do this/how to report this. Save your results onto your scientific report Word document.
ANALYSIS: Use R to conduct a t-test which tests your hypothesis. Refer to the WEEK 3 work book if you can’t remember how to do this/how to report this. Save your results onto your scientific report Word document. More information on T-Tests in R can be found under “How To: Independent Samples T-Test in R.”  Remember, instructions on how to write your scientific report are outlined in the Scientific Methods Course Information Sheet (Term 2 Lab 1).
How to independent samples in T test:
http://www(dot)sthda(dot)com/english/wiki/unpaired-two-samples-t-test-in-r
Hypothesis testing and P-Values:
https://www(dot)youtube(dot)com/watch?v=-FtlH4svqx4&t=24s
Week 5: Important!!!
Developing your scientific writing skills
With your statistical analyses from last week, and your report well underway, this week will help you continue the assignment by
· Identifying common mistakes and pitfalls in statistical analyses
· Signposting where to go next to develop your skills in future
· Outlining recent changes in data and analyses that will continue to shape the world of the 21st century
There are very specific guidelines for writing the Scientific Report, which heavily influence the mark you will receive for the section. Follow the course information sheet exactly to ensure you do as well as you possibly can. If you get stuck or confused, email your course instructor.

Essay Sample Content Preview:

1 Title
The association between maternal smoking during pregnancy and children's birth weight
2 Abstract
Low birth weight in infants is a global public health concern. Smoking is one of the maternal behaviors leading to low birth weight. This study aims at assessing whether maternal smoking during pregnancy and the baby's weight at birth are related. A sample size of 189 of data gathered at Baystate Medical Center, Springfield, Massachusetts, in 1986 was used. This research found that the average birth weight of infants of women who smoked was considerably lower than that of infants of women who did not smoke during pregnancy. The study concludes that maternal smoking during pregnancy lowers the weight of infants at birth.
3 Introduction
Birth weight is strongly linked to increased mortality risks and developmental problems in children. According to UNICEF (2019) data, normal baby weight is at least 2500 grams at birth. UNICEF birth statistics point to cases of low birth weight being on the rise in contemporary society, with 14.6 % of babies born in 2015 suffering from low weight. In the U.S. 2020, Center for Disease Control and Prevention statistics indicates that 8.24% of children are born low weight. The data also indicates that one in every five babies born to mothers who smoked during pregnancy and those exposed to secondary smoking have low weight babies at birth (FastStats – birthweight, 2022; Smoking during pregnancy, 2020). This elicits concerns because low weight is the primary cause of increased mortality and congenital disability rates. Birth weight is a significant indicator of other health conditions in a child's life besides mortality rate (Pereira et al., 2017). Mathewson et al. (2017) assert that extremely low weight babies are at a higher risk of certain mental health conditions that begin at childhood and extend to their 30s.
Smoking is one of the maternal behaviors leading to low birth weight. Chattrapiban et al. (2020) and Rumrich et al. (2020) assert that baby's weight for mothers who continued smoking after their first trimester was considerably low compared to those who did not smoke. Balte et al. (2016), Brand et al. (2020), and Suzuki et al. (2016) argue that a child whose mother smoked during pregnancy is born weighing low and likely to experience a higher bone fracture rate in their first year.
Knopik et al. (2016) and Zheng et al. (2016) note that smoking contributes to low birth weight even in situations where genetic compositions play a role. Mothers who smoke more cigarettes are likely to have lighter children than those who regulate their smoking to an average of six cigarettes per day (Kataoka et al., 2018; Parker et al., 2016; Wang et al., 2020). However, Kataoka et al. (2018) did not find a significant association between smoking during pregnancy and low birth weight for women who smoked less than five cigarettes per day.
More research is required to establish factors related to low infant weight at birth. The primary purpose of this study was to assess the association between maternal smoking during pregnancy and children's birth weight. Based on previous literature, the hypothesis formulated for this study was that maternal smoking during pregnancy results in lower childr...

Updated on January 26, 2024

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Association Between Smoking During Pregnancy and Child's Birth Weight

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