Perception of the risk of tobacco use in pregnancy and factors associated with tobacco use in rural areas of Myanmar

Introduction: Tobacco use is recognized as the most important preventable risk factor for pregnancy complications and undesirable fetal outcomes. This study examined the reported prevalence of tobacco use among married men and women residing in rural areas, and their knowledge on the risks of tobacco use during pregnancy and the factors associated with tobacco use.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted within 32 villages in the delta region of Myanmar, randomly selected through multistage sampling procedure by using a pre-tested structured questionnaire during 2016. In all, 617 people participated in the household survey.

Results: About 80% of current smokers (109/128) smoked at home, of whom 16% reported the presence of a pregnant woman in their smoking area. Less than 25% of the respondents were aware of the negative impacts of tobacco use on pregnancy outcomes. Men had significantly lower perceived risk towards smoking on some pregnancy outcomes. Multivariate analysis confirmed the significant influence of male gender (adjusted OR, AOR=12.62; 95% CI: 6.30-25.29) and the age of women <35 years (AOR=3.51; 95% CI: 1.97-6.26) on current tobacco use, when controlling for other variables.

Conclusions: Men in the study villages and those with a low level of education had poor knowledge on the risks of tobacco on pregnancy outcomes. However, good knowledge and perceived risk of undesirable impacts on pregnancy did not have any influence on tobacco use.