Recently, a research article entitled “Prevalence and trends in tobacco use, second-hand smoke exposure at home and household solid fuel use among women in 57 low- and middle-income countries, 2000-2018” was published in Environ Int (5 Year Impact Factor: 10.72; JCR: Q1) by Prof. Xi Bo's Team. PhD candidates Yang Lili and Wu Han are co-first authors. Prof. Xi Bo is the corresponding author, and Shandong University is the first affiliation institute.

Tobacco use, second-hand smoke (SHS) exposure and household solid fuel use in women of reproductive age can cause morbidity and mortality for both women and their offspring. Yet comprehensive, nationally representative, directly comparable prevalence estimates as well as secular trends on these risk factors among women in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) have been limited.

Prof. Xi Bo's team used the most recent data from the Demographic and Health Surveys in 57 LMICs that were completed between 2010 and 2018 to assess the prevalence of tobacco use, SHS exposure at home and household solid fuel use among women of reproductive age (15-49 years). They also used data from 41 selected LMICs that had data from two or more surveys completed between 2000 and 2018 to assess secular trends in the prevalence of tobacco use and household solid fuel use among women.

They found that in 2010-2018, the overall prevalence of tobacco use, daily SHS exposure at home and household solid fuel use among women in 57 LMICs was 3.2% (95 %CI = 3.1-3.3), 23.0% (22.8-23.2), and 65.6% (65.3-65.9) respectively. The prevalence of tobacco use was lower among pregnant women than non-pregnant women, but it was reverse for the prevalence of daily SHS exposure at home and household solid fuel use. About 16% of the women presented two or three simultaneous risk factors. Although tobacco use and household solid fuel use both declined in most countries (≥50%) between 2000 and 2018, the current situation is still worrying. Their findings suggest that urgent action is needed to strengthen smoke-free policies, to prevent the initiation of tobacco use, and to increase access to clean fuels to improve maternal and child health in LMICs.

Available from:https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S016041202200068X