Avoidance of environmental tobacco smoke among pregnant Taiwanese women: knowledge, self-efficacy, and behavior.
BACKGROUND
The issue of active and passive cigarette smoking among pregnant women at home has become a major source of debate. The purpose of this study was to explore the knowledge of, self-efficacy with, and behavior toward avoiding environmental tobacco smoke and related factors among pregnant women in Taiwan.


METHODS
A cross-sectional research design was used. Women (n = 281) visiting the outpatient antenatal clinics of one regional hospital and two medical centers in Taipei for routine obstetrical care volunteered to fill out questionnaires.


RESULTS
Participants on average had little knowledge of this issue and felt less than "very confident" in resisting environmental tobacco smoke and indicated that it was only "usually true" that they practiced avoidance behaviors. The knowledge of, self-efficacy with, and behavior toward avoiding environmental tobacco smoke were all related to both the woman and her partner's educational levels. There were significant differences in mean knowledge, self-efficacy, and avoidance of environmental tobacco smoke scores among different household smoking groups. A multiple regression revealed that overall avoidance of environmental tobacco smoke was positively associated with self-efficacy, with a no-smoking policy at home, and with both a woman and her partner's educational levels.


CONCLUSIONS
The high prevalence of subjects suffering from active (6.05%) and passive smoking (58.72%) suggests that clinicians can target interventions designed to increase pregnant women's self-efficacy and to advise them to try to set up their own smoking policy at home.
Chen
Ching-Min
CM
Taipei Medical University College of Nursing, Taipei, Taiwan, R.O.C. chingmin@tmu.edu.tw
Lee
Pi-Hsia
PH
Chou
Yu-Hua
YH
Kuo
Shu-Fen
SF
Hsu
Yu-Hien
YH
D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D011262:Pregnancy Trimester, Second; D011263:Pregnancy Trimester, Third; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D020377:Self Efficacy; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013624:Taiwan; D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000517:prevention & control
D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution