Secondhand Smoke among Pregnant Women in Developing Countries: Comparative Analysis Using Demographic and Health Surveys in 28 Countries

Yoonjoung Choi, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)

Secondhand smoke during pregnancy is associated with negative pregnancy outcomes such as low birthweight and prematurity, major risk factors of mortality and morbidity among infants. The purpose of this study is to assess levels and patterns of secondhand smoking among women by current pregnancy status, using Demographic and Health Surveys from 28 countries. Exposure to secondhand smoking at home was defined as living in a household where one or more adult men smoke. While women’s own smoking prevalence was lower among pregnant women than non-pregnant women, there was no differential in exposure to secondhand smoke at home by pregnancy status in most countries. On average across the countries, 27% of pregnant women were exposed to secondhand smoke. The study results will provide programmatic implications such as male involvement and integrating smoking cessation counseling during antenatal care, in order to improve both pregnancy outcomes and infant survival.