[Passive smoking during pregnancy and obstetric outcomes in pregnant women referring to Rafsanjan Nicknafs hospital]

Inhaling Environmental Tobacco Smoke [ETS], as a world health problem, threats the community especially mothers and newborns. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of passive tobacco smoking during pregnancy on mother and newborns. In this Cross sectional study, in one year, 641 non smoking women who refered to Rafsanjan Nicknafs hospital for bearing a singleton baby, were interviewed at least two hours after delivery using a structured check list. Based on history of exposure to ETS, the study samples were divided into two groups and then maternal and newborn outcomes in the two groups were compared. Exposure to ETS was reported among 25% [161] of respondents. The women exposed to ETS were less educated, multi gravid, had irregular prenatal care, older unemployed, lived in rural and in sum had low socio-economical status. They had higher rates of vaginal delivery [p=0.02], anemia [p=0.048] and preterm delivery [p=0.002]. But mother's exposure to ETS did not show any significant statistical relations with newborn weight, APGAR score, sex, anomaly and preeclampsia and the way of beginning the delivery Exposure to environmental tobacco smoke in pregnancy probably increases the risk of preterm labor and maternal anemia

[Preference method of delivery and it's relevant causes in view of pregnant women referring to public and private clinics in Rafsanjan city]

While it's widely accepted that vaginal delivery is the best method of parturition, in most countries the cesarean rate has been growing over the past decades and in most cases it's performed only based on the women demand. Finding the reasons of women's tendency toward cesarean may help to diminsh the rate of this delivery method. Therefor in the present study we tried to investigate the preference method of delivery and its relevant causes in view of pregnant women referring to public and private clinics in Rafsanjan. In this cross-sectional study, 256 pregnant women were continuously interviewed and their method of choice for delivery and their reasons were also investigated using a qustionnaire. Data were analyzed by t test, one way Analysis of Variance and X[2] test. The results showed that 31.25% and 68.75% of the participants choose Cesarean Section [C/S] and Normal Vaginal Delivery [NVD] respectively as a method of choice for parturition. 52.6% of those who have chosen C/S, believed that NVD is a painful and stressful method which cannot be tolerated whereas 42% of the second group believed C/S could be a high-risk and invasive method. Of the knowledge qustions, 45.5% were correctly answered by the participants. The most important reasons for choosing C/S among the participants were fear of severe pain during vaginal delivery and lack of knowledge about the complications of cesarean. In addition, it should be important for the health - policy makers to develop an awareness concerning the C/S complications and the advantages of NVD. Applying of pharmaceutical and non - pharmaceutial pain-relief methods may also change the attitude of women in favour of NVD