"Men can really help their partners to give up smoking during pregnancy and remain smoke-free -- and the best support they can give is to quit themselves," said Sue Ziebland of the Imperial Cancer Research Fund's GP Research Group, which conducted the study.

For the study, researchers conducted interviews with 19 pregnant women whose partners smoked. Some of the men demanded that their partners quit during pregnancy, but refused to do so themselves. Other men pretended to give up, but secretly kept smoking.

"The women we interviewed felt unsupported by men's 'Do as I say, not as I do' attitude when their partners continued to smoke, but encouraged them to stop," said Ziebland.

Smoking during pregnancy has been linked to miscarriage, premature birth, low birth weight, and a higher incidence of sudden infant death syndrome.

"This study suggests that pregnancy is an ideal time for both parents to try to kick the habit and that couples are more likely to succeed if they make a joint attempt," said Professor Gordon McVie, director general of the Cancer Research Campaign.

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