Factors associated with second-hand smoke exposure in non-smoking pregnant women in Spain: Self-reported exposure and urinary cotinine levels

Background: Validation of self-reported questionnaire is very crucial in ensuring the quality and reliability of data collection. Objective: The aim of this study were i) to validate the questionnaire on tobacco smoke intake and second hand smoke exposure among The Malaysian Cohort (TMC) subjects through the determination of urinary cotinine levels, ii) to determine the optimal cut-off point of urine cotinine that discriminates smokers from non-smokers and iii) to estimate misclassification rate between self-reported smoking and urinary cotinine level.Methods: Urine samples from a total of 775 The Malaysian Cohort subjects (104 smokers, 102 former smokers and 569 non-smokers) were obtained and urinary cotinine levels were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Differences between groups were compared using Kruskal Wallis and Mann-Whitney tests. The Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curved was performed to define the optimal urinary cotinine cut-off point.Results: Urinary cotinine concentration significantly (p<0.001) correlated with smoking status (r=0.46), the average number of cigarettes smoked per day (r=0.53), duration of smoking (r=0.33) and number of cigarettes packed per year (r=0.47). Smokers and second hand smokers have significantly higher median cotinine levels (978.40 and 21.31 respectively) compared to non-smokers (15.52) and non-exposed (13.60) subjects. Cotinine level at cut-off value of 1.51 ng/mg creatinine is able to distinguish smokers and non-smokers with a sensitivity of 84.62% and specificity of 81.97%.Conclusion: The Malaysian Cohort self-reported smoking questionnaire is a reliable tool in assessing the use of tobacco and second hand smoke exposure among the subjects.

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Second Hand Smoke Exposure among Pregnant Women in Nigeria

Journal of Advances in Medicine and Medical Research ◽

10.9734/jammr/2020/v32i1330550 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 29-36

Author(s):

Obinna Francis Onunkwor ◽

Sami Abdo Radman Al- Dubai ◽

Hassana Ojounba Shuaibu

Keyword(s):

Pregnant Women ◽

Simple Random Sampling ◽

Smoke Exposure ◽

Health Facilities ◽

Second Hand Smoke ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Public Places ◽

Second Hand Smoke Exposure ◽

High Prevalence ◽

Harmful Effects

Background: Despite the ban on smoking in public places in Nigeria, second-hand smoke exposure is common across the country. It is increasingly being viewed as a severe women’s issue because of the high prevalence among women, and its harmful effects on pregnant women. However, second-hand smoke exposure among pregnant women in Nigeria is hugely under-researched. Aim: This study aims to determine the prevalence of second-hand smoke exposure among pregnant women in Nigeria, and determine their knowledge and avoidance behavior towards second-hand smoke. Methodology: This cross-sectional study was conducted among 314 pregnant women in ten health facilities in Sokoto state, Nigeria. The health facilities were selected through simple random sampling. Results: The prevalence of second-hand smoke exposure was 72.9%. The majority of the respondents (61.1%) were exposed to second-hand smoke in homes of others, 20.4% in school, 18.5% in restaurants, 43.3% in their own homes, 49.7% in public transport, 20.4% at work, and 15% in health facilities. Factors significantly associated with second-hand smoke exposure included knowing it causes miscarriage (OR=0.39, 95% CI=0.23 – 0.64, P= <.001), and being able to keep a distance from smokers (OR=0.5, 95% CI= 0.28 – 0.76, P=.002). Conclusion: This study revealed a high prevalence of exposure to second-hand smoke. Knowledge about the harmful effects of second-hand smoke was one of the significant factors associated with exposure. These findings indicate the need for appropriate education of all pregnant women about the harmful effects of second-hand smoke and adequate enforcement of the ban on smoking in public places.

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