Omar El-Shahawy
All Authors:O. El-Shahawy1,2, K. Labib2, S. Sherman1, W. Anwar2. 1Department of Population Health, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, United States; 2Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Egypt
Background:
Secondhand smoke (SHS) Exposure is high among pregnant women in Egypt. We present results on training providers on counselling pregnant women on SHS avoidance in Cairo, Egypt.
Methods:
Surveys of pregnant women (N=2003) attending 24 maternal care clinics where we conducted the intervention (2018 to 2022) in Great Cairo, Egypt were analyzed. We present overall sample results and compare pre-(n=1002) and post-intervention (n=1001) data regarding receipt of SHS avoidance counselling.
Results:
Between the pre-and post-surveys, there were no significant differences in participant characteristics; 53.8% (pre) and 57.8% (post) were aged between 21 to 30. Among the whole sample, 85.5% of participants answered all six SHS knowledge questions correctly and 64.8% had smokers in their household. Overall, 45.5% reported SHS exposure at home, those not exposed were either living with no smokers (35.2%), or had smoke-free home policy (19.3%). Those living with smokers who smoked at home reported SHS exposure for 18.1 hours/week on average from all sources, compared to 8.3 hours/week among the rest of sample. Regarding the intervention, those reporting being asked about SHS increased from 18.3% to 39.7% (p<.001), and receiving SHS avoidance advice increased from 13.0% to 34.2% (p<.001).
Conclusion:
Despite high overall knowledge, almost half the sample lived with smokers who smoke at home and had substantially higher SHS overall exposure. The intervention succeeded in changing providers' behavior on SHS avoidance counseling. Whether this helped establish smoke free homes need further evaluation. The intervention was effective in changing provider behavior, its wide-scale implementation is needed.