Abstract
Worldwide, use of tobacco is viewed as an important threat to the health of pregnant women and their children. However, the extent of tobacco use in pregnant women in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) remains unclear. We assessed the magnitude of tobacco use in pregnant women in LMICs. We used data from Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) done in 54 LMICs between Jan 1, 2001, and Dec 1, 2012, comprising 58 922 pregnant women (aged 15-49 years), which were grouped by WHO region. Prevalence of current tobacco use (smoked and smokeless) was estimated for every country. Pooled estimates by regions and overall were obtained from random-effects meta-analysis. Pooled prevalence of any tobacco use in pregnant women in LMICs was 2·6% (95% CI 1·8-3·6); the lowest prevalence was in the African region (2·0%, 1·2-2·9) and the highest was in the Southeast Asian region (5·1%, 1·3-10·9). The pooled prevalence of current tobacco smoking in pregnant women ranged from 0·6% (0·3-0·8) in the African region to 3·5% (1·5-12·1) in the Western Pacific region. The pooled prevalence of current smokeless tobacco use in pregnant women was lowest in the European region (0·1%, 0·0-0·3) and highest in the Southeast Asian region (2·6%, 0·0-7·6). Overall, tobacco use in pregnant women in LMICs was low; however high prevalence estimates were noted in some LMICs. Prevention and management of tobacco use and exposure to second-hand smoke in pregnancy is crucial to protect maternal and child health in LMICs. None.
Highlights
Tobacco is a leading global disease risk factor.[1]
The 2008–10 Global Adult Tobacco Survey of 14 low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) showed that in women of reproductive age, prevalence of current tobacco smoking ranged from 0·4% in Egypt to 30·8% in Russia, and current smokeless tobacco use was less than 1% in most countries, but was common in Bangladesh (20%) and India (15%).[3]
Data sources and procedures We searched for data from the most recent Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) in every country, which were done between Jan 1, 2000, and Jan 1, 2014, with data available for pregnancy status and tobacco use
Summary
Tobacco is a leading global disease risk factor.[1] more than 80% of the world’s smokers live in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs),[2] population-based data for prevalence of tobacco use in pregnant women in these countries is insufficient. The 2008–10 Global Adult Tobacco Survey of 14 LMICs showed that in women of reproductive age, prevalence of current tobacco smoking ranged from 0·4% in Egypt to 30·8% in Russia, and current smokeless tobacco use was less than 1% in most countries, but was common in Bangladesh (20%) and India (15%).[3]. Identification of where smoking cessation interventions for pregnant women are most needed in LMICs is important in view of the insufficient antenatal care capacities and poor pregnancy outcomes in many LMICs.[8] there are no population-based estimates of tobacco use during pregnancy in LMICs
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