Smoking and Related Factors during Pregnancy

Objective: In this study, we aimed to investigate smoking habits of women during pregnancy and determine the related factors.
Methods: In this cross-sectional study, a total of 1021 women were included in the first 24 h after they gave birth in the hospital between March and May 2014. The study was conducted at only one hospital. Participants were interviewed face-to-face by researchers using a questionnaire. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows v.22.0. The relation between categorical variables was determined using chi-square test. Statistical significance was achieved when the p value was less than 0.05. Ethics committee approval from the hospital and written informed consent from the participants were obtained for the study.
Results: The frequency of smoking during pregnancy was 13.0%. The majority smoked until birth (10.1%). Household smoker was significantly associated with smoking during pregnancy (p<0.001), and advanced maternal age (>35 years) during pregnancy was associated with smoking until birth during pregnancy (p<0.05).
Conclusion: The prevalence of smoking was still high among pregnant women in spite of strict measures and all efforts against smoking in Turkey. Advanced maternal age and household smoker were associated with smoking during pregnancy. Special focus is needed on the issue of smoking during pregnancy not only by pregnant women but also by their household’s members.