AUTHOR=Tang Jing , Shen Jie , Zhang Shengjie , Ho Harvey , Ran Suzhen 

TITLE=A Pilot Study on Secondhand Smoke Exposure Among Pregnant Women in Chongqing, China: A Combined Questionnaire, Saliva Cotinine Test, and Ultrasound Flow Index Analysis

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Public Health

VOLUME=Volume 8 - 2020

YEAR=2020

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/public-health/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2020.00290

DOI=10.3389/fpubh.2020.00290

ISSN=2296-2565

ABSTRACT=Objective: The aim of the study was to gain updated data of SHS exposure among pregnant women in the Chongqing city, one of the four municipalities of China.
Study Design and Setting: Pregnant women attending routine ultrasound checks at an obstetrics and gynecology center voluntarily participated in the survey of SHS exposure. Some participants were also invited to have saliva cotinine tests using a NicAlert kit.  The pulsatility index (PI) of the umbilical artery was compared between the SHS and non-SHS groups.
Results: 548 pregnant women (74.82% and 25.18% in 12 and 24 weeks’ gestation, respectively) participated in the survey from July to November 2019. 29.44% of participants reported SHS exposure. ‘Working place’ was listed as the top location for SHS exposure. 23 of 31 participants who were tested cotinine-negative in their saliva samples also self-reported the same in the survey questionnaire. However, 2 of the 8 participants who were tested cotinine-positive in their saliva samples self-reported SHS exposure negative. The mean PI in the SHS group is higher than the non-SHS group (1.10 vs 1.02) in foetuses of 24 weeks’ gestation. However, the PI may not be suitable as an index for SHS exposure at 12 weeks’ gestation due to frequent absent or reversed diastolic flow.  
Conclusion: A first survey about SHS exposure in pregnant women that combines questionnaire, saliva cotinine tests and ultrasound flow index analysis has been performed in China, and provided valuable data for ensuing studies.