Secondhand smoke exposure inside the house and low birth weight in Indonesia: Evidence from a demographic and health survey

INTRODUCTION Secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure during pregnancy among non-smoking women is associated with mortality and morbidity risks in infants. However, little is known about SHS inside the house and low birth weight in newborns. This study aims to assess the prevalence, level, and frequency of SHS exposure inside the house and investigate their associations with low birth weight. METHODS We used the Indonesian Demographic and Health Survey (IDHS) 2017, a large-scale, nationally representative survey. Women aged 15-49 years who had given birth in the last five years before the study and their husbands were interviewed (n=19935). Two dependent variables included low birth weight (LBW) and birth weight. RESULTS In all, 78.4% of mothers were exposed to SHS inside the home, of whom 7.2% had LBW children. Compared to non-exposed to SHS mothers, those exposed to SHS were younger, had their first birth before the age of 20 years, were married, lower educated, non-workers, lived in rural areas, were grand multipara, had pollution from cooking fuel, cooked in a separate building, and had a higher risk of delivering a lower birth weight (AOR=1.16; 95% CI: 1.02-1.33). CONCLUSIONS Exposure to SHS inside the home was significantly associated with LBW. Given the high prevalence of smoking, relevant policies and health promotion are needed.