Factors Associated with Second Hand Smoke Exposure in the Home among Pregnant Women in Phetchabun Province

Abstract

The present study aimed to investigate the association between factors associated with second hand smoke (SHS) exposure in the home during pregnancy. We employed a cross-sectional analytical study by interviewing a total of 1,264 non-smoker pregnant women in 7 hospitals. Multiple logistic regression was used to investigate the association between factors and SHS exposure. The majority of participants had high school level education (68.8%), and the mean age was 27.1 years. More than 90% of participants lived in detached housing and 75% had not received SHS harm information. The percentage of the participants who permitted all or part of the home for smoking, and had their husband’s smoking in the home were 46.7% and 42.6%, respectively. The estimated prevalence of SHS exposure during pregnancy was 57.2 %. Multivariate modelling demonstrated that husband smoking in the home (AOR = 11.9, 95%CI= 8.75 to16.14, p<0.001), receiving SHS harm information (AOR = 0.71, 95% CI= 0.52 to 0.97, p=0.034), permitted smoking in some part of the home (AOR = 3.59, 95% CI= 2.37 to 5.43, p< 0.001) and living in an apartment (AOR = 0.47, 95% CI= 0.28 to 0.81, p= 0.006) were strongly associated with SHS exposure. Our results suggest that there is a need for a public health intervention educating on the impact of SHS exposure during pregnancy, and ways to prevent exposure. In addition, health personel, particularly in ante-natal visits, should advise pregnant women and their partners on ways to foster smoke-free environments.