Secondhand Smoke Causes Thousands Of Stillbirths: Study

According to a study recently published in the journal BMJ Tobacco Control, over 50% of pregnant women in developing countries are exposed to secondhand smoke. This not only harms maternal health but also causes thousands of stillbirths every year, as per reports. Secondhand smoking is the inhalation of smoke, called second-hand smoke (SHS), or environmental tobacco smoke (ETS). It is also termed as passive smoking,

Protecting pregnant women from smoke exposure has to be a made a priority to improve maternal and child health

The research, carried out by the health department of University of York in the UK, laid out various risks of secondhand smoke. Exposure to smoke during pregnancy increases risk of low birth-weight, respiratory illnesses, congenital malformations and stillbirth. The study also claims that little is known about the extent of secondhand smoke exposure during pregnancy.

Our study @TC_BMJ finds that in many developing countries more than 40% of pregnant women are exposed to #secondhand smoke @HealthSciYork @York_IGDC pic.twitter.com/XjBLzeAlaI

— Kamran Siddiqi (@Kamsid66) July 20, 2018

Exposure data in 30 developing countries

The researchers looked at the number of pregnancies alongside smoking exposure data in 30 developing countries from 2008 to 2013. The analysis revealed data featuring countries like Bangladesh, Nepal, Armenia, Indonesia and Jordan. It mentioned that more than 50% of pregnant women, in these countries, reported exposure to household secondhand smoke. This led to over 10,000 stillbirths in Indonesia alone. Such exposure causes about 17,000 stillbirths every year in Pakistan.

Secondhand #smoking during #pregnancy is common in many #LMICs and results in poor birth outcomes @m_boeckmann @daniel_kotz @DrAzizSheikh @RaziaFatima2 @IMPACT_NIHR @MHARG_york @ravimehro @ASTRA_NIHR @arkfoundation1 @javaidkhan61 @FCTCofficial @TheUnion_TC https://t.co/49VZdUbXjW pic.twitter.com/c64UInQrzL

— Kamran Siddiqi (@Kamsid66) July 20, 2018

Exposure in homes

In five of the 30 countries, household secondhand smoke exposure was twice as common as active smoking. Lead author on the research team, Professor Kamran Siddiqi, feels it's primarily male smokers who cause exposure of secondhand smoke to women.

Professor Siddiqi believes this is a major problem, which remains unaddressed. The researchers claim secondhand smoke during pregnancy is far more common than active smoking. In developing countries, secondhand smoking accounts for more stillbirths than active smoking.

These results, according to the research team, are based on self-reported surveys and could be subjected to further questions. There is, however, no denying that smoke exposure causes major problems when it comes to maternal health. An extensive research and follow-up is therefore required to develop effective measures for reduction of smoke and its exposure in households.

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