Survey shows 53% of respondents have themselves or a family member exposed to second-hand smoke during pregnancy.
Today marks the 23rd World No Tobacco Day. Public awareness of the dangers of second hand tobacco smoke has been increasing in China over recent years. While this news is encouraging, of concern are the risks posed by passive smoking for expectant mothers. The results of a survey commissioned for Save the Children by Horizon Research reveals that over 50% of respondents (or a respondent’s family members) have been exposed to second-hand smoke during pregnancy. As a result, Save the Children is calling for a multi-faceted approach to heighten awareness, push for legislation and stress the importance of a smoke-free environment for expectant mothers and their children.
In its Policy Recommendations on Protection from Exposure to Second-hand Tobacco Smoke, published in 2007, World Health Organization (WHO) points out that second-hand tobacco smoke (SHS) is the combination of smoke emitted from the burning end of a cigarette or other tobacco products and smoke exhaled by the smoker. Second-hand tobacco smoke contains thousands of known chemicals, at least 250 of which are known to be carcinogenic or otherwise toxic.
Exposure of non-smoking women to second-hand tobacco smoke during pregnancy can cause low birth weight and pre-term delivery. Second-hand tobacco smoke exposure is also implicated in Sudden Infant Death Syndrome or cot death. Other perinatal health effects where there may be a link with second-hand tobacco smoke exposure are intrauterine growth retardation and spontaneous abortion (miscarriage).
Second-hand tobacco smoke poses a serious threat to a child’s health. The Ministry of Health in its 2007 Tobacco Control Report reveals that the health hazards of passive smoking affect every stage of a child’s development. Smoking or exposure to passive smoking during and after pregnancy can lead to a range of newborn diseases detrimental to an infant’s lung function including acute or chronic respiratory diseases such as asthma and middle-ear infections. Many international research studies have shown that Sudden Infant Death Syndrome is two to three times more common in infants whose mothers smoke. A family with more than two smokers increases this risk by up to five times.
The Save the Children commissioned Horizon Research survey shows that over half (53%) of respondents have themselves or have had a family member exposed to second-hand smoke during pregnancy. Of those respondents, 9.9% of expectant mothers were exposed to second-hand smoke frequently and 4.8% were exposed almost daily.
The survey also indicates that exposure to second-hand smoke occurs for a variety of reasons, most of which can be traced back to the family unit. Based on a multiple choice question on the reasons why expectant mothers are exposed to second-hand smoke, “A family member who is a long-term smoker who cannot quit” (56%), “it is too embarrassing to persuade the older generation not to smoke “(27%), “a family member smokes as a result of work pressures” (26%) are among the top three causes. Having a colleague who smokes (1%) also makes expectant mothers vulnerable to passive smoking in the workplace.
According to 2007 Tobacco Control Report, China has the greatest number of smokers in the world at 350 million; the number of people exposed to passive smoking is also estimated to be as high as 540 million. While public awareness of passive smoking has been increasing in China, there are still large gaps in the levels of understanding about the health risks of smoking and tobacco. As the survey results show, 7.7% of respondents believe that “passive smoking isn’t harmful to the health of pregnant women and their baby”.
In the lead up to World No Tobacco Day, Save the Children is calling for greater awareness of the dangers of second-hand smoke, putting the responsibility on family members to create a smoke-free environment for expectant mothers and babies.
Legislation is critical to ban smoking in public places. On 21 May 2003, the 56th World Health Assembly passed the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC). Since the Convention came officially into effect in China in 2006, Beijing and Shanghai, among more than 100 other cities in China, have introduced local regulations to ban smoking in public places. In April this year, the Guangzhou Tobacco Control Regulation was passed, bringing in a complete smoking ban in offices. However, China still lacks a national law which targets the banning of smoking in public, and the local regulations are facing various difficulties with implementation.
When it comes to smoking, only a multi-pronged approach will succeed: strengthening legislation and controlling tobacco advertising; increasing social awareness; and creating a smoke-free environment are all means which need to be employed to reduce the numbers of smokers in China and free mothers and children from the harmful effects of passive smoking.
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