Smoking moms tied to behavior disorders  

EAST LANSING, Mich.,-- Michigan State University researchers  
said smoking during pregnancy may have long-term effects on  
the behavior of children. The researchers' study,  
published in the American Academy of Child and Adolescent  
Psychiatry, included 700 children ages 6 though 17 rand-  
omly selected from groups with low birth weight and high  
birth weight, ABC News reported Thursday.  The research-  
ers found that smoking during pregnancy had an influence  
on the development of Oppositional Defiant Disorder --  
a syndrome marked by frequent temper loss, an argu-  
mentative disposition, vindictiveness and spitefulness  
-- and later Conduct Disorder, a more advanced form of  
ODD that includes more serious behaviors. The study said  
the results tied to smoking were independent of birth  
weight and other factors, including economic status of  
the mother and drug and alcohol use. The researchers  
suggested women avoid smoking for the entirety of their  
pregnancies.