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Effect of second-hand cigarette smoke exposure on neonatal birth weight and prematurity among pregnant patients in secondary hospitals in Manila: A prospective cohort study

Annarose L. Patupat, MD and Erlidia F. Llamas-Clark, MD, MPH, PhD, FPOGS
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Philippine General Hospital, University of the Philippines-Manila

Background: Smoking is a known risk factor for many maternal and perinatal morbidities. Regrettably, as many as 69.8% of mothers, though not active smokers themselves, are exposed to second-hand cigarette smoke (SHS). No level of SHS exposure is safe. Due to the potential harmful effects to the mother and her unborn child, it is important to establish the effect of SHS exposure on neonatal outcome among our pregnant patients.

Objective: To determining the effect of second hand cigarette smoke exposure on neonatal outcomes.

Methods: Participants are patients with low risk singleton pregnancies who were going for prenatal check up and eventually delivered in secondary hospitals in Manila. Descriptive statistics was used to summarize the demographic and clinical characteristics of the patients. Null hypotheses were rejected at 0.05 ?-level of significance. The computer software STATA 13.1 was used for data analysis.

Results: The husband was the most identified source of second-hand smoke. Maternal weight was also higher among the exposed group. The most significant effect of SHS exposure among newborns was a 103 grams difference in mean birth weight. There was no difference in pediatric aging, birth length, and anthropometric measurements.

Conclusion: The prevalence of smoking in Philippines remains high at 23.8% among adult population, majority being male adults. Exposure to second-hand smoke during pregnancy was noted to be as high as 69.8%. The most common source of second-hand smoke is the husband, and thus, he should be one of the targets of preventive strategies in second-hand smoke exposure.

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