Abstract:
In Kawkareik Dictrict, Karen State, Burma, 162 Sgaw Karen mothers of reproductive age (MRA) were interviewed concerning their 606 pregnancies to determine whether there was an association between the smoking practice of the parents and the mortality indicators of their offspring. A high prevalence of smoking among Karen parents made it difficult to get a sufficient sample size of non-smoking parents, Karen mothers smoked during and after 84,0% of their pregnancies and Karen fathers smoked during and after 90.4% of their wives' pregnancies. Chi-square analysis of the data using EPI INFO computer software revealed a relationship between infant mortality and heavy exposure to parental smoking. However, after controlling for confounding, the educational status of the MRAs was found to be a confounding factor effectively negating the association between heavy exposure and infant mortality. There was also strong association to MRAs experiencing malaria during pregnancy and their children's mortality indicators, but lack of verifiable medical records makes this association debatable. The age at which an MRA began smoking (Some started at 2 years of age!) had a strong association with the mortality of her children. Neonatal mortality of the children of MRAs who began smoking before age 10 was; times higher than for the children of MRAs who started smoking later. It was found that children of MRAs who smoked pipes had an infant and neonatal mortality rate 2 times higher than the children of cigar smokers. The mortality indicators were strongly associated with two villages. These two villages also showed a strong association to low educational status and pipe smoking. Further research is needed to determine the reasons for village-specific mortality and the difference between pipe and cigar smoking.
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