Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2013 Jan;15(1):231-7.
doi: 10.1093/ntr/nts119. Epub 2012 May 9.

Exposure of pregnant women to waterpipe and cigarette smoke

Mohammed Azab  1 , Omar F Khabour, Karem H Alzoubi, Mays M Anabtawi, Maram Quttina, Yousuf Khader, Thomas Eissenberg
Affiliations

Exposure of pregnant women to waterpipe and cigarette smoke

Mohammed Azab et al. Nicotine Tob Res. 2013 Jan.

Abstract

Introduction: Throughout the Eastern Mediterranean region, tobacco is used primarily in 2 forms: cigarette smoking and waterpipe smoking. Despite the fact that tobacco use is considered as a global public health threat, waterpipe smoking is reported to be growing in popularity, particularly among women. The objectives of this study are to determine the prevalence and patterns of cigarette, waterpipe, and passive smoking among pregnant women in Jordan, and to assess their perception of harmful effects of cigarette and waterpipe smoking.

Methods: A total of 500 pregnant women were randomly recruited from maternity clinics in North and Middle of Jordan and surveyed regarding exposure to waterpipe tobacco and cigarette smoking.

Results: The results showed that 7.9% of women were current cigarette smokers and 8.7% were current waterpipe smokers. About 82.4% of all women reported that they are exposed to cigarette smoke and 32.8% reported that they are exposed to waterpipe smoke. The most common place where women are exposed to cigarette and waterpipe smoke was their house (50.4% and 48.7%, respectively) followed by public places (31.4% and 21.4%, respectively). In addition, the husband was the main source for exposure to cigarette and waterpipe smoke (48.5% and 42.7%, respectively). Approximately, 74% of women believed that cigarette smoking is addictive, whereas only 55.1% reported that waterpipe smoking leads to addiction.

Conclusions: Exposure of pregnant women to tobacco smoke is a public health problem in Jordan that requires immediate action.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Abu-Baker NN, Haddad L, Savage C. The influence of secondhand smoke exposure on birth outcomes in Jordan. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2010;7:616–634. doi:10.3390/ijerph7020616. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Azab M, Khabour OF, Alkaraki AK, Eissenberg T, Alzoubi KH, Primack BA. Water pipe tobacco smoking among university students in Jordan. Nicotine & Tobacco Research. 2010;12:606–612. doi:ntq055. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Bachir R, Chaaya M. Maternal smoking: Determinants and associated morbidity in two areas in Lebanon. Maternal and Child Health Journal. 2008;12:298–307. doi:10.1007/s10995-007-0242-z. - PubMed
    1. Badran E, Salhab AS, Al-Jaghbir M. Infant exposure to environmental tobacco smoke: Jordan University hospital-based study. Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal. 2009;15(1):39–46. - PubMed
    1. Blank MD, Cobb CO, Kilgalen B, Austin J, Weaver MF, Shihadeh A, et al. Acute effects of waterpipe tobacco smoking: A double-blind, placebo-control study. Drug and Alcohol Dependence. 2011;116:102–109. doi:S0376-8716(11)00023-8. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types

Substances