Socio-demographic profile of pregnant women using mishri.

Background: "Mishri" is one among the various smokeless tobacco products used in the central and southern part of India. The use of newer tobacco products is increasing not only among men, but also among children, teenagers, and women of the reproductive age-group.

Objectives: To study socio-demographic profile of mishri users among pregnant women admitted for delivery into Krishna Hospital, Karad - Satara, Maharashtra.

Materials And Methods: All the consecutive pregnant women admitted for delivery in Krishna Hospital, Karad over a period of 6 months were enrolled and a detailed history of use of tobacco was obtained from them. A representative sample of mishri used by them for each application was collected and weighed on an electronic weighing machine. The socio-demographic information was collected among all mishri users and age-, parity-matched controls of non-mishri users during pregnancy.

Results: A total of 258, i.e., (12%) of the women delivering in Krishna Hospital were using mishri. The mean duration of mishri use was 2 years with a standard deviation (SD) of 1.09 years, frequency of daily application being 1.4 times with an SD of 0.55, dwell time in mouth being 10 min with an SD of 2.9 min, and the quantity of each application being 236 mg with an SD of 66.2 mg. 29% of the teenagers and 68% of the primiparas were found to be using mishri, and a majority of them were housewives, having minimum education and belonging to the middle and lower socio-economic class. It was also found that the family members played a role in influencing the habit of mishri use.

Interpretation And Conclusion: A small but significant number of women who deliver in the hospital used mishri during pregnancy and were in need of de-addiction counseling.