In developing countries around the world, especially in Asia, secondhand smoke causes thousands of still births every year. Exposure to secondhand smoke during pregnancy increases the risk of still birth, congenital malformations, low birth-weight and respiratory illnesses.
The analysis revealed that in Armenia, Indonesia, Jordan, Bangladesh and Nepal more than 50% of pregnant women reported exposure to household secondhand smoke. In Indonesia alone, 10,000 still births take place every year.
In Pakistan, only 1% of still births are attributed to women actively smoking during pregnancy, but for secondhand smoke, the figure is 7%, largely due to the high numbers of pregnant women exposed to tobacco smoke at home.In five of the 30 countries, household secondhand smoke exposure was twice as common as active smoking.
“Protecting pregnant women from secondhand smoke exposure should be a key strategy to improve maternal and child health,” said lead researcher Kamran Siddiqi.
They also say further work is needed to develop effective interventions to reduce household exposure to secondhand smoke. The study appeared in the BMJ Tobacco Control Journal.
Prasanta Patnaik