Prevalance of exposure to cigarette and hookah smoke in children hospitalized with pneumonia in Zahedan

Abstract

Introduction and Objective: Pneumonia is the most common fatal respiratory tract infection and, when it occurs in children, especially in low-income countries, it carries a large economic burden on the family and the health system. Exposure to tobacco smoke is associated with childhood disabilities and mortality. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of exposure to cigarette and hookah smoke in children under 2 years of age with pneumonia hospitalized in the pediatric ward to show its importance in the occurrence of respiratory symptoms in children. Materials and Methods: This study was a descriptive cross-sectional study that was conducted on 141 children under 2 years of age with pneumonia without a history of previous illness hospitalized in the pediatric ward of Ali Ibn Abi Taleb Hospital through interviews with mothers. The mean and number (percentage) were used to describe the variables according to their nature (quantitative or qualitative). Findings: Among the 141 children studied, 25.31% were exposed to cigarette and hookah smoke, of which 76.7% were boys and 23.3% were girls. 27.9% of their mothers were illiterate, 48.8% had High school education and 20.9% had a University education, and 2.3% had High university education. Among the fathers, 7% were illiterate, 41.9% had High school education, 41.9% had a University education, and 3.9% had High university education. In terms of household size, 30.2% had 4 people and 30.2% had 6 people. 25.6% were exposed to cigarette smoke, 58.1% were exposed to hookah smoke, and 16.3% were exposed to both. In terms of exposure history, 7% were exposed during pregnancy, 3.9% were exposed after birth, and 83.7% were exposed both during and after birth. 65.1% were hospitalized for 4 days. Conclusion: The results of this study showed that exposure to cigarette and hookah smoke is an important factor in the incidence of pneumonia in children under 2 years of age, therefore this factor should be considered in the process of preventive health and treatment interventions for pneumonia.

Keywords: pneumonia, cigarette, hookah, second-hand exposure.