The effect of quitting water pipe during pregnancy on anthropometric measurements at birth: a population-based prospective cohort study in the south of Iran

• Published in: BMC pregnancy and childbirth Vol. 20; no. 1; p. 241
• Main Authors: Nematollahi, Shahrzad, Holakouie-Naieni, Koroush, Madani, Abdolhossain, Shabkhiz, Hossein, Torabi, Elham, Lotfi, Samane
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England BioMed Central 22-04-2020; BMC
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Anthropometry; Babies; Bandar Abbas; Birth Weight; Body measurements; Childrens health; Cigarettes; Cohort analysis; Cohort Studies; Expenditures; Female; Generalized linear models; Health Behavior; Health risk assessment; Humans; Infant, Low Birth Weight; Infant, Newborn; Iran - epidemiology; Maternal & child health; Mothers; Newborn babies; Population-based studies; Postpartum period; Pregnancy; Prenatal Care; Principal components analysis; Prospective cohort study; Prospective Studies; Risk Factors; Smoking cessation; Smoking Cessation - statistics & numerical data; Smoking Water Pipes; Suburban areas; Tobacco; Water pipe smoking; Water Pipe Smoking - epidemiology; Water pipes; Womens health; Young Adult; Iran; Bandar Abbas; Water pipe smoking; Anthropometry; Prospective cohort study
• ISSN: 1471-2393; 1471-2393
• DOI: 10.1186/s12884-020-02948-2

Evidence regarding health effects of tobacco cessation during pregnancy is mainly restricted to cigarette while water pipe is the preferred method of tobacco smoking among women in the Middle-East. The present study aimed to assess the effects of cessation of water pipe during pregnancy on birth anthropometric measures in the south of Iran.
Data on 1120 singleton pregnancies (response rate = 93.4%) from a population-based prospective cohort study in suburban communities in Bandar Abbas city was used. Based on water pipe smoking status, the study subjects were categorized into: 1) those who never smoke water pipe (never smoker); 2) those who stopped water pipe during pregnancy and resumed it postpartum (quitters); 3) those who continued smoking water pipe during their pregnancy (always smokers). The Generalized Linear Models (GLMs) were utilized for the analyses.
Compared to never smokers, quitting water pipe in pregnancy decreased mean birthweight of infants by 99.30 g (β:-99.30, 95%CI:-204.35,-5.75) and an additional decrease of 37.83 g occurred in infants of always smokers (β:-137.13;95%CI:- 262.21,-12.05). Means of birth length did not significantly differ among the three water pipe groups. Means of head circumference, however, significantly increased by 0.79 cm in infants of always smokers (β:079,95%CI:0.13,1.45).
Quitting water pipe during pregnancy had positive effects on infant growth, especially birth weight. Awareness campaigns about health benefits of quitting water pipe during routine prenatal checkups and integration of active follow-up visits into prenatal care protocols for smoking mothers are provided.