Background: Exposure to secondhand smoke (SHS) is a serious global public health problem. Understanding the correlates of SHS exposure could guide the development of evidence-based SHS exposure reduction interventions.
Objective: To describe the pattern of and factors associated with SHS exposure among nonsmoking adult females in rural areas of Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, India.
Materials and Methods: The study was conducted in rural field practice areas of Department of Community Medicine, Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh. A total of 320 households were selected by systematic random sampling. In each household, one nonsmoker adult female was selected randomly. Her exposure to SHS was recorded along with sociodemographic characteristics such as age, education, occupation, type of family, and socioeconomic status using a semi-structured questionnaire based on Global Adult Tobacco Survey methodology. Her knowledge regarding harmful effects of SHS was also enquired. Data were analyzed using 2-test.
Results: The SHS exposure rate at home among the participants (N = 320) was 32.8%. Several sociodemographic factors were associated with SHS exposure. The higher the level of education, the lower the SHS exposure, with the difference being statistically significant.
Conclusion: Almost one-third of nonsmoking adult females are exposed to SHS at home. The findings suggest the need for comprehensive tobacco control measures that would improve public understanding about health hazards of SHS exposure at home and encourage educational initiatives to promote smoke-free homes. Interventions should deliver targeted messages to reach those in the low socioeconomic status group.
Key words: Secondhand smoke, female, nonsmoker
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