Second hand smoke exposure in pregnant women in Dehradun, Uttarakhand: A cross sectional study

The aim of this study was to estimate the percentage and sources of secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure among non-smoking pregnant women. It was a cross-sectional study conducted among the non-smoking pregnant women registered at the primary health center (PHC) under the All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS), Rishikesh.

All registered pregnant women at sub-center in the field practice area (Raiwala) of the Department of Community and Family Medicine, AIIMS Rishikesh were recruited in the study. In this study, a questionnaire was used for measuring the exposure of SHS. Mean and standard deviation (SD), median, minimum, and maximum were used for continuous variables. A Chi-square test was used to compare the association of categorical variables.

Out of the total participants, 62% were exposed to SHS. 33% of participants were exposed to SHS at home only, 24% at public places only, and 5% were the ones exposed both at home and public places. More than half (69%) of the participants were having inadequate knowledge about the harms caused by SHS.

More than half of the participants were exposed to SHS. Inadequate knowledge among the participants about adverse effects of SHS exposure and insufficient practices and action were observed.