The effect of health education on second-hand smoke knowledge and exposure among pregnant women in Jordan: A quasi-experimental study

Second-Hand Smoke (SHS) is a significant health issue. For non-smoker pregnant women, SHS exposure can lead to harmful consequences on the fetus. This study aimed to examine the effectiveness of a health education program in decreasing SHS exposure and increasing pregnant women's knowledge of its harmful effects. A quasi-experimental (pretest-posttest control group) design and the second-hand exposure questionnaire (SS-A) were used. A convenience sample of 136 pregnant Jordanian women from the antenatal clinic was recruited and assigned to an intervention group (n = 70) and a control group (n = 66). The intervention group received a health education program, while the control group received the usual antenatal care. The data were collected from October to December 2018. The results revealed that the highest exposure to SHS was in the home setting, with an average of 8.7 ± 2.21 hours daily for both groups. After the educational program, there were significantly lower scores of exposure and a higher score of knowledge in the intervention group, compared to the control group (p < 0.001). There was also a significant decrease in the scores of exposure and a significant increase in the score of knowledge of the intervention group from pretest to posttest (p < 0.001). The study provides evidence about the importance of a program to educate pregnant women about the negative impact of SHS. Nurses need to assess SHS exposure and provide health education for pregnant women.