Abstract
BACKGROUND: Tobacco use is responsible for numerous adverse pregnancy outcomes for females and their infants. The aim of this study was to explore the adverse outcome of tobacco use among pregnant females. METHOD: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 1250 females in the third trimester of pregnancy from April to June 2022, which were exposed to tobacco use in the form of gudaku, tobacco chewing, gutka, or smoking. Complications and outcomes during and after pregnancy were recorded based on self-administered questionnaires. Statistical analysis was performed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) (IBM SPSS Statistics, Armonk, NY) software version 20.0 for categorical data, frequencies (n) and percentages (%) were calculated, and the chi-square test was used for determining intergroup differences. RESULTS: Out of 1250 females, tobacco exposure was present among 429 (34.3%), and 821 (65.7%) had no tobacco exposure. Of 429, 36.10% of females complained about complications such as abortion (1.60%), antepartum hemorrhage (0.90%), congenital anomaly (0.20%), infertility (1.20%), intrauterine fetal death (IUFD) (0.50%), intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) (0.90%), oligohydramnios (OLIGO) (3.30%), preterm labor (18.40%), premature rupture of membrane (6.30%), and anemia (2.80%), which were slightly higher than the females with no tobacco exposure. In tobacco users, obstructive complications were found to be significant with a p value of 0.0036. CONCLUSION: Our study concluded that tobacco use could have an adverse effect on their fetus and infants, as well as the pregnant females themselves. Policymakers need to ensure effective strategies that pregnant females, their partners, and close relatives need to have enough knowledge to avoid potential risks.