Association of Smoke Exposure with Low Birthweight Among Pregnant Women in the Tema Metropolitan Area, Ghana.

Abstract

Introduction: The Impact of smoke exposure on birth weight among pregnant women is a critical public health concern with significant implications for both maternal and neonatal health. Globally, approximately 15-20% of live births are categorized as low birth weight, with the burden disproportionately affecting low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) and most of them are a results of smoke exposure. Smoking remains a common but preventable cause of adverse pregnancy outcomes worldwide but it menaces continues to be a significant health problem. In view of this, it is imperative to examine the association between smoke exposures on birth weight among pregnant women in the Tema Metropolitan Assembly. Methods: The study adopted a retrospective cohort study with a quantitative approach for analyzing the role of maternal cigarette smoke susceptibility on neonatal birth weight at a single point in time. The design is appropriate because it allows simultaneous evaluation of exposure (smoke exposure) and outcome (birth weight). Stata 18 was used for analysis and it was presented in tables, frequencies and figures. Chi-square and regression analysis was used to determine predictors of smoke exposure on pregnancy outcomes. Results: About 8 out of every ten pregnant women were exposed to at least smoke from coil, charcoal, garbage, the method of rubbish disposal, and cigarettes, and about two-fifths (40.0%) of the pregnant women were exposed to smoke from 2-3 sources. Our study revealed that about nine percent of pregnant women exposed to smoke gave birth to low-birth-weight babies. The study found no significant determinants of smoke exposure, and a multivariable analysis revealed a significant association between exposure to smoke and low birth weight. Thus, participants who were exposed to two or more sources of exposure were almost six times more likely to give birth to babies with low birth weight as compared to those with less than two exposures Conclusion: This study highlights that pregnant women in the population are frequently exposed to harmful smoke. About 9% of the women gave birth to low birth weight (LBW) infants, a key marker of poor neonatal health. Women exposed to two or more sources of smoke were almost six times more likely to have LBW babies compared to those with lower exposure. The findings underscore the necessity for targeted public health prevention interventions against pregnancy smoke exposure in the household and environment settings to improve birth outcomes.