[Smoking habits in pregnant women after the ban: a study on a sample of puerperae in Piedmont region].
Data collected few months after the introduction of the ban of smoking in all indoor public places showed a reduction in tobacco consumption and in prevalence of Italian smokers. Aim of this retrospective study was to investigate smoking habits in pregnant women. Data have been collected from a questionnaire that investigated the way of cessation, the opinion about the ban and its influence on smoking behaviour or passive smoking exposure. Moreover, 6 months after delivery, we investigated the habits of the women who smoked just before and during pregnancy. We found a prevalence of smokers before pregnancy of 25%, a statistically significant association (p<0,01) between passive smoking exposure and the frequency of women who smoked before and in the first trimester of pregnancy, between smoking during a previous and the present pregnancy and a significant cutting down on smoking before and during pregnancy. Although the study showed a significant reduction in second hand smoking exposure in the workplaces, about 30% of the women are exposed to passive smoking in their family environment. Almost all women agreed with law 3/2003 and only 22% of the women of our sample denied any type of influence of the ban on their smoking habit or exposure. We also found that about 50% of the women who had smoked during or before pregnancy relapsed within six months after delivery, even if they were not smoking as many cigarettes as before. Smoking habit among women remains an open issue to cope with because of its prevalence and its effects on health of both women and their children.
Charrier
L
L
Dipartimento di Sanità Pubblica e Microbiologia, Università degli Studi di Torino, Torino. lorena.charrier@unito.it
Serafini
P
P
Zanetti
M
M
Zotti
C M
CM
D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D049590:Postpartum Period; D011247:Pregnancy; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D000074606:Smoking Prevention