Cigarette smoking and perception of its advertisement among antenatal clinic attendees in referral health facilities in Enugu, Nigeria

Background: The most predominant form of tobacco use is cigarette smoking, and it poses serious threats to maternal and child health. The magnitude of cigarette smoking in pregnancy in our environment is not well.known. The study aimed to determine the prevalence of cigarette smoking among pregnant women in Enugu, Nigeria as well as their exposures and perceptions of cigarette smoking advertisement.Materials and Methods: Questionnaires were administered to a  cross.section of pregnant women randomly selected from three hospitals in Enugu, South.East Nigeria, from May 2, 2012 to June 12, 2012. Analysis was both descriptive and inferential at 95% confidence levels.Results: The prevalence of tobacco smoking in pregnancy was 4.5%  (9/200). Over 90% of respondents admitted that cigarette smoking could harm both mother and unborn baby. In all, 79.5% (159/200) of respondents had seen or heard of advertisement for cigarette smoking as against 82.5% (165/200) that had seen or heard of antismoking  advertisement (P = 0.444, odds ratio = 1.2 [95% confidence intervals: 0.74, 2.00]).Conclusions: The prevalence of cigarette smoking in pregnancy in Enugu, Nigeria was low, and there was high exposure to both pro.and anti.smoking advertisement. The awareness of harmful health effect of smoking was high but, that of the specific diseases associated with smoking in pregnancy was limited. Hence, antenatal classes and antismoking  advertisement should be scaled.up to include maternal and peri-natal diseases/conditions associated with cigarette smoking. Key words: Cigarette advertisement, cigarette smoking, Enugu-Nigeria, pregnanc

Asymptomatic bacteriuria among pregnant women with sickle cell trait in Enugu, South Eastern Nigeria

Context: Asymptomatic bacteriuria (ASB) in pregnancy is a major risk factor for developing acute cystitis and pyelonephritis, especially, among women with sickle cell disease. This study compared the prevalence, pattern, and microbiological characteristics of ASB in pregnancy between sickle cell trait (HbAS) and normal hemoglobin AA(HbAA) genotype subjects.Materials and Methods: Culture and sensitivity of mid‑stream urine samples were collected from 300 HbAS women and 300 matched HbAA control at the antenatal clinic of University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital Enugu, Nigeria from August 2010 to December 2011. Analysis was both descriptive and inferential at 95% confidence levels.Results: Prevalence of ASB in HbAS and HbAA women were 32.7% (98/300) and 32% (96/300) respectively (odd ratio (OR) =1.03 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.73, 1.45]). Escherichia coli was the most common organism isolated in both the HbAS group (56.1%, 55/98) and control group (61.4%, 59/96), (OR = 0.80 [95% CI 0.45, 1.42]). The  antibiotics with the highest microbial sensitivity were ciprofloxacin 90.8% (89/98) and gentamicin 100% (98/98) for HbAS and HbAA women respectively.Conclusions: The prevalence of ASB in pregnant women with HbAS in Enugu, Nigeria was high and did not vary significantly from that of woman with HbAA. Therefore, pregnant women irrespective of their sickle cell status would benefit from routine screening for ASB.Key words: Asymptomatic bacteriuria, Enugu‑Nigeria, pregnant women, sickle cell trai

Antenatal Care Booking Pattern at a Tertiary Hospital in South- Eastern Nigeria

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