Cigarette smoking during breastfeeding in Papua New Guinea: Prevalence and demographic and socio-economic predictors
- PMID: 36454927
- PMCID: PMC9714934
- DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0278373
Cigarette smoking during breastfeeding in Papua New Guinea: Prevalence and demographic and socio-economic predictors
Abstract
Background: Cigarette smoking during breastfeeding is reported to contribute to significant changes in the composition of breast milk not only by reducing its protective features but also affecting infants' response to breastfeeding and breast milk. However, studies on the prevalence of cigarette smoking and associated factors during breastfeeding are limited in Papua New Guinea (PNG). This study estimates the prevalence of cigarette smoking and its association with demographic and economic factors among breastfeeding women in PNG.
Methods: We used weighted survey data from the 2016-2018 PNG Demographic and Health Survey (PNGDHS). A weighted sample of 3,822 women who were breastfeeding during the survey were included in the study. The outcome variable in the present study is current cigarette smoking. A multiple logistic regression analysis was used to estimate the association between current cigarette smoking status and socio-demographic and economic variables of breastfeeding women. The regression analysis results were reported using adjusted odds ratios (aOR) with their respective 95% confidence intervals (CIs).
Results: From the weighted sample, the prevalence of cigarette smoking among breastfeeding women was 21.9%; of which 60.8% smoked daily. The mean number of cigarettes smoked in the last 24 hours preceding the survey was 6.05(SD = 5.99). Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that breastfeeding women who were from the Momase (aOR: 2.337, CI: 1.786-3.058, p<0.001) and Highlands (AOR: 1.589, CI: 1.213-2.082, p = 0.001), had no religious affiliation (aOR: 3.665, CI: 1.235-10.877, p = 0.019), and households with daughters as household heads (aOR: 1.901, CI: 1.231-2.935, p = 0.004) and being in more than one union (aOR: 2.374, CI: 1.805-3.123, p<0.001) were significantly more likely to smoke cigarette compared to women from southern region, those affiliated to Anglican church, those with husband as household heads, and being in one union respectively.
Conclusion: Cigarette smoking among breastfeeding women in PNG is relatively high, and region of residence, religion, relationship to household head, and the number of unions remain independent predictors. Interventions should target the individual socio-economic and cultural contexts within which breastfeeding occurs.
Copyright: © 2022 Peprah et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Conflict of interest statement
The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
Similar articles
-
Association between experiences of intimate partner sexual violence and cigarette smoking among women in union in Papua New Guinea: evidence from a nationally representative survey.BMC Public Health. 2022 Mar 29;22(1):613. doi: 10.1186/s12889-022-13003-4. BMC Public Health. 2022. PMID: 35351046 Free PMC article.
-
Investigation of factors associated with delayed initiation of breastfeeding in Papua New Guinea: a cross-sectional study.BMJ Paediatr Open. 2024 Oct 8;8(1):e002942. doi: 10.1136/bmjpo-2024-002942. BMJ Paediatr Open. 2024. PMID: 39384311 Free PMC article.
-
Prevalence of pregnancy termination and associated factors among married women in Papua New Guinea: A nationally representative cross-sectional survey.PLoS One. 2024 Sep 5;19(9):e0309913. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0309913. eCollection 2024. PLoS One. 2024. PMID: 39236064 Free PMC article.
-
Tobacco smoking and breastfeeding: Effect on the lactation process, breast milk composition and infant development. A critical review.Environ Res. 2016 Nov;151:321-338. doi: 10.1016/j.envres.2016.08.002. Epub 2016 Aug 12. Environ Res. 2016. PMID: 27522570 Review.
-
Evaluating an Association Between Prenatal Smoking Behavior and Exclusive Breastfeeding: A Population-Based Study.Am J Lifestyle Med. 2023 Oct 14;19(4):510-518. doi: 10.1177/15598276231206121. eCollection 2025 May-Jun. Am J Lifestyle Med. 2023. PMID: 40248658 Free PMC article. Review.
Cited by
-
Enhancing student nurses' ethical skills via simulation-based learning: barriers and opportunities.BMC Nurs. 2025 Feb 7;24(1):147. doi: 10.1186/s12912-025-02742-5. BMC Nurs. 2025. PMID: 39920632 Free PMC article.
-
Regional Variations in the Prevalence of Risk Factors and Non-Communicable Diseases in Papua New Guinea: A Scoping Review.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2025 Jan 14;22(1):102. doi: 10.3390/ijerph22010102. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2025. PMID: 39857555 Free PMC article.
References
-
- Centre for Disease Control and Prvention. Smoking and tobacco use. 2021. Available at https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/basic_information/health_effects/index.htm. Accessed on 7/4/2021.
-
- WHO. Tobacco. Available at: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/tobacco. Accessed on 29/06/2021.
-
- WHO. World No Tobacco Day, 2021. Available at: https://www.who.int/campaigns/world-no-tobacco-day. Accessed on 29/06/2021.
-
- WHO. World No Tobacco Day 2010—Gender and tobacco: emphasis on marketing to women. Available at: https://www.who.int/news-room/events/detail/2010/05/31/default-calendar/.... Accessed on 01/07/2021.
MeSH terms
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources