Electronic Smoking In Parents In Pregnancy; A Multicenter Cross-Sectional Study

Background and Aim: Smoking in pregnancy is a preventable risk factor affecting morbidity and mortality.A multicentre cross-sectional study was planned by “Turkish Thoracic Society Women and Lung Health As a task force group ”. The aim of the study is to determine the attitudes of pregnant women and their surroundings to electronic cigarettes, which have become increasingly prevalent in recent years. Methods: The study was conducted in 11 provinces and 15 centers in Turkey, between September 2017 and December 2017. A Questionnaires were conducted with face-to-face interviews to gynecology outpatients who agreed to participate in the study. There were a total of 60 questions regarding education, socioeconomic status and parents9 habits of smoking cigarettes and electronic cigarettes. Results: A total of 1123 pregnant women with a mean age of 27 ± 5.6 were enrolled. 48% of them were were primary school graduates, 7% were not illiterate, and 56% were housewives. 10% of the pregnant women were active smokers. The most important factor in smoking cessation was the thought it could be harmful to the baby. Nevertheless, 30% of them thought electronic cigarette was not harmful to the baby. The rate of smoking electronic cigarettes among pregnant women was 3%.25% of pregnant women thought that cigarette smoking was more harmful, and the 45% were not aware of the harms and addictive effects of electronic cigarettes. Conclusions: regnant women seem to need more information about electronic cigarettes lately, as if they were harmless. Educational sessions, planned together with the obstetricians and chest physcians would make a significant contribution to maternal and child health.