effects of maternal passive smoking on maternal milk lipid

Passive smoking was long overlooked by those in the medical and legal professions as being harmful to one's health, but in recent years the negative effect of passive smoking has come to the fore in the media and laws have been changed so that less people are obliged to unwillingly suffer from passive smoking, particularly in the workplace and in indoor settings. To study the effects of environmental tobacco smoking exposure during the breast-feeding period on maternal milk lipids. This cohort study was conducted on 45 mothers environmental tobacco smoking exposure and 40 non-exposed post-partum mothers referred to the Shahid Ayat health center, Tehran, Iran. Socioeconomic conditions and the demographic characteristics of exposed and non-exposed groups were recorded. Milk samples were collected twice- at baseline [5-7 days after delivery] and four months after delivery. The samples were reserved at -20°C until assay. Milk lipids including cholesterol, triglyceride [TG], high density lipoprotein [HDL] and low density lipoprotein [LDL] were evaluated. Dietary intake assessment was performed by means of the 24-hour dietary recall questionnaire both times. Maternal occupation status and education levels were significantly different between the two groups. Lipids profiles of milk were significantly higher 5-7 days after delivery in the non-exposed group and four months after delivery. Dietary intake was not significantly different between the two groups. Maternal environmental tobacco smoking exposure affects milk lipids which are essential for infant growth

Facilitators and inhibitors of health promoting behaviors: the experience of Iranian women of reproductive age

There is scant information on the facilitators and inhibitors of health promoting behaviors among reproductive aged Iranian women. This study aims to explore the experience of factors influencing health promoting behaviors among Iranian women of reproductive age from a qualitative perspective. This study was performed in Tehran in 2011, over about 8 months. Qualitative methods, specifically in depth interviews, were used to gather data on 15 women of reproductive age. Data continued to be collected until introduction of new information ceased. The interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed by conventional content analysis. The reported factors were categorized into four main groups and 12 subgroups: [1] personal barriers [lack of time, school or work duties, lack of preparation or motivation, physical disability]; [2] socio environmental barriers [family responsibilities, environmental pressures, high costs and financial pressures]; [3] personal facilitators [personal interest and motivation, experience of disease]; and [4] socio environmental facilitators [family and social support networks, encouraging and motivating environment, media, and public education]. In these women's experience, factors influencing health promoting behaviors were either facilitators or inhibitors; most were inhibitors. The findings of this study show that, in addition to personal factors, the pursuit of health promoting behaviors is affected by socio environmental factors. These results will be useful in designing interventions and plans for women's health promotion that focus on the improvement of their environment and the modification of social factors

Personal and family factors affecting life time cigarette smoking among adolescents in Tehran [Iran]: a community based study

The prevalence of smoking among adolescents varies in different parts of the world. The current study aims to survey the socio-demographic and family characteristics related to adolescent lifetime cigarette smoking among 1201 Iranian adolescents aged 15- 18 years old. This study is a population-based cross-sectional survey conducted using the multistage random cluster sampling method in Tehran, Iran in the summer of 2010. The prevalence of lifetime cigarette use amongst boys [30.2%] was about 1.5 times that of girls [22.2%], [p=0.002]. Older age, low parental control, very little parental supervision in the adolescent's selection of friends, and having a friend or family member who smokes were associated with lifetime cigarette use among male adolescents. Moreover, the use of verbal punishment by the parents was a protective factor for female lifetime cigarette use. Smoking has become one of the great health threats among Iranian adolescents. As a result, health promotion programs should be gender based whilst educational and interventional programs for preventing tobacco use should begin before adolescence

Prevalence of water pipe use and its correlates in Iranian women of reproductive age in Tehran: a population-based study

The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of water pipe smoking and its associated sociodemographic factors among Iranian women of reproductive age in Tehran. This was a population-based cross-sectional study of 1,359 Iranian women aged 15-49 years. The multistage random cluster technique was used to obtain the sample. Questionnaire-based interviews with questions relating to water pipe smoking and sociodemographic variables were used to collect the data. The multivariate logistic regression model was used to analyze the relationships between the dependent variable [water pipe smoking] and the independent variables [sociodemographic characteristics]. The prevalence of water pipe smoking was 6.3% among Iranian women. Water pipe smoking was more likely in the age range of 15-24 years [odds ratio [OR] = 4.8, 95% confidence interval [95% CI] = 2.7-8.6] compared to the age range of 35 years or older, in women with a university education [OR = 1.9, 95% CI = 1.3-3.0] compared to women with a high-school diploma or lower, and in women with an average crowding index score [OR = 4.7, 95% CI = 2.1-10.6] compared to women living in small families. The findings of this study show that Iranian women with a university education and the younger age group [15-24 years] were at most risk of water pipe smoking. The findings of this study about associated factors may contribute to the development of efficient health promotion programmes for the prevention and cessation of water pipe smoking

Factors associated with secondhand smoke exposure in infants

Determining the factors associated with secondhand smoke [SHS] exposure in children provides valuable information for smoking control strategies. This study aimed to assess factors related to SHS exposure in infants based on urinary cotinine measures. A cross-sectional analysis of the data that were collected as part of the randomized controlled trial was conducted. Participants were 130 smoking households with children under the age of 1 year attending a health care center in southern Tehran. Eligible parents consented to participate in this study and completed a questionnaire including demographic data, questions regarding smoking at home, smoking status and Fagerstrom test through face-to-face interview. The Infants' urinary cotinine level was measured using gas chromatography, adjusted with urinary creatinine level and reported as cotinine [ng]/ creatinine [mg]. Factors related to infants' SHS exposure were assessed using the multivariate logistic regression model based on standard cut-point [30 ng of urinary cotinine/mg creatinine]. The final multivariate logistic regression model showed that social status [p=0.002], home smoking restriction [p=0.05] and the infant's age [p=0.01] were associated with the infants' SHS exposure determined based on urinary cotinine levels. These results support the influence of social status, home smoking restriction and infant's age on the exposure of infants to SHS