Association between secondhand smoke exposure in pregnant women and their socioeconomic status and its interaction with age: A cross-sectional study

Objectives: This study aimed to explore the effect of individual socioeconomic status (SES) on SHS exposure among pregnant women and its interaction effect of age. Methods: : A total of 678 nonsmoking pregnant women from 14 communities in a medium-sized city were recruited for this survey. Exposure to SHS was defined as a self-reported smoking habit of spouse/partner. Individual SES consisted of marital status, educational attainment, employment and per capita monthly income. Results: : There were 238 (35.1%) of participants who suffered from SHS exposure. Compared to the pregnant women who were employed, others who were unemployed were more likely to suffer from SHS exposure (OR=1.697, 95% CI: 1.102-2.614). Participants who had high school or technical secondary school education were more likely to exposure to SHS compared with women with a college or above education (OR=1.577, 95% CI: 1.020-2.437). Enhanced age was a protective factor for participants with a college or above education level (OR=0.939, 95% CI: 0.884-0.997), but age increased the risk of SHS exposure among women who had unstable marriage (OR=1.256, 95% CI: 1.019-1.549). Conclusion: Exposure to SHS was very common among pregnant women. Pregnant women with low education level and SES and older age should be considered a key population for the implementation of public health interventions.