[Knowledge about influence of smoking tobacco on health condition and developing fetus of the patients of women health center in urban and rural areas].

Chemical compounds that are present in tobacco smoke negatively affect the health of everyone, but most of all it damages the organism of the developing and young bodies. Both passive and active smoking is harmful. The level of knowledge in the society concerning smoking increases systematically. However, many people choose to ignore warnings and prohibitions concerning smoking. From the findings it results that 60% of the pregnant women is threatened with inhaling tobacco smoke at work place or at home, and almost every third pregnant woman smokes. The aim of the research was to recognize the knowledge about the influence of smoking tobacco on the developing fetus of the patients of health centers in Lodz and in Opoczno. Between 1st and 15th April 2007, there were studies carried out using an auditory survey among 240 female patients who came for advice at the health center. One health center in Lodz was chosen at random and one in Opoczno. Subsequently, people queuing to the doctor's were asked to fill the survey, until 120 patients completed it. Collected material was then analysed statistically. The questionnaire consisted in total of 28 questions, including 11 concerning patients' knowledge about the influence of smoking tobacco on health. Almost 21% of the questioned was of a mistaken opinion that not everyone can quit smoking. Over 16% of them did not know that smoking may lead to vascular diseases and 2% of women did not see the connection between smoking and respiratory system diseases, 11% of the surveyed did not know that smoking is harmful and over 10% did not know that passive smoking has negative effect on the developing fetus. Defects in knowledge concerning influence of smoking, particularly passive smoking on the frequency of illnesses occurrence and the development of fetus, among some of the respondents, requires the increase of didactic activities of health care workers.