Secondhand smoking, knowledge/attitudes and socioeconomic status among married Bangladeshi women: a cross-sectional study

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: There is a paucity of research on knowledge/attitudes regarding the dangers of exposure to secondhand smoking (SHS) among women. The relationship between exposure to SHS, socioeconomic status (SES) and knowledge/attitudes regarding the risks of SHS has often been ignored. We therefore aimed to examine (1) whether SES and exposure to SHS were independently associated with knowledge/attitudes regarding the risks of SHS; and (2) whether women with low SES and exposure to SHS were uniquely disadvantaged in terms of deficient knowledge and more dismissive attitudes towards the risks of SHS. DESIGN AND SETTING: Cross-sectional study in the Rajshahi district, Bangladesh. METHODS: A total of 541 women were interviewed. Knowledge of and attitudes towards the risks of SHS were the outcomes of interest. RESULTS: A majority of the respondents were exposed to SHS at home (49.0%). Only 20.1% had higher levels of knowledge, and only 37.3% had non-dismissive attitudes towards the risks of SHS. Participants in the low SES group and those exposed to SHS had lower odds of higher knowledge and their attitudes towards the risks of SHS were more dismissive. Regarding deficient levels of knowledge and scores indicating more dismissive attitudes, women in the low SES group and who were exposed to SHS were not uniquely disadvantaged. CONCLUSIONS: Exposure to SHS and low SES were independently associated with deficient knowledge and scores indicating more dismissive attitudes. Regarding knowledge/attitudes, the negative effect of exposure to SHS extended across all socioeconomic backgrounds and was not limited to women in either the low or the high SES group.

Desire for children and subsequent abortions in Matlab, Bangladesh.

This study investigated the relationship between desire for children and subsequent abortions in the treatment and comparison areas of Matlab, where ICDDR,B: Centre for Health and Population Research has been maintaining a Demographic Surveillance System (DSS) since 1966. The women at risk of pregnancy, interviewed in the In-depth-1984 (Cohort-84) and KAP-1990 (Cohort-90) surveys, were followed for five years through the DSS to ascertain their subsequent pregnancy outcomes. The desire for children was negatively associated with the risk of subsequent abortion in recent years. The number of abortions was higher in the comparison area than in the treatment area and increased over time in both the areas among those who wanted no more children. Among the sample women, one in five abortees had repeated abortions in the comparison area, but none had repeated abortions in the treatment area. The other factors associated with high risk of abortion were: old age, education, Hindu religion, and use of contraceptives (at the time of survey). The findings suggest that targeting women who want to limit family size with high-quality family-planning services would reduce the incidence of once and repeated abortions.