An educational intervention to men for reducing environmental tobacco smoke exposure in their pregnant wives.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effect of education based on health belief model (HBM) on the level of their pregnant wives' environmental tobacco smoke exposure (ETSE). METHODS: This interventional randomized study was conducted on 60 cigarette smoking men who have exposed their pregnant wives to smoke during of their pregnancy. The HBM constructs and weekly ETSE were evaluated by using questionnaire. The intervention group received education with emphasis on the risks of cigarette's smoke on the pregnancy. Then right after the training and 6 weeks after that, HBM constructs and 6 weeks after the training the weekly ETSE were evaluated again. RESULTS: Results showed a significant difference between the mean of perceived susceptibility, perceived benefits and barriers at intake and 6 weeks after the intervention in the intervention group. Also, the level of perceived susceptibility/severity and perceived barriers in both groups were significantly different 6 weeks after the intervention compared to intake time. The ETSE was significantly lower in the intervention group 6 weeks after the intervention in comparison to before the intervention and also to the control group. CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that education husbands would relatively improve their health beliefs and reduce the ETSE of their pregnant wives.

The relationship between husbands' health belief and environment tobacco smoke exposure among their pregnant wife.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the relationship between health belief structures of men and environment tobacco smoke (ETS) exposure among pregnant women. METHODS: This cross-sectional research was conducted on 120 smoking men who had pregnant wives. Data were gathered through a questionnaire that measured health belief structures related to pregnant women's exposure to cigarette's smoke including perceived susceptibility/severity, benefits, barriers and self-efficacy. Number of exposures to cigarette's smoke was defined by the number of smoked cigarettes in the presence of the pregnant wife. RESULTS: The number of smoked cigarettes in the presence of pregnant wife had a negative relation with perceived susceptibility/severity and perceived benefits and a positive relation with perceived barriers. The number of smoked cigarettes in men had no relation with health belief constructs. Using multiple regression test showed the perceived barrier for not smoking was the strongest factor in men to anticipate the level of women's ETS exposure. CONCLUSIONS: Results of this study showed that the level of ETS exposure among pregnant women was dependent on men's health beliefs about the ETS exposure treats among pregnant women.