Raising awareness about rising tobacco use among women, especially young girls in developing countries, is so apt. Tobacco use among women has been on a rise, particularly in developing countries, says the new World Health Organization (WHO)''s report on Global Tobacco Epidemic 2008.

Late in February 2008, researchers have released the results of the first-ever international study of the tobacco use habits of pregnant women. Investigators say the rates of smoking, use of smokeless tobacco and exposure to secondhand smoke during pregnancy are higher than expected in developing and middle income countries, and pose an emerging threat to the health of women and their children.

Investigators found smokeless tobacco was popular among up to one-third of pregnant women in some parts of India .

The highest levels of secondhand smoke exposure were found in Pakistan , where nearly half of all pregnant women reported that both they and their children were regularly exposed to someone else's smoke.

Women who smoke during pregnancy are more likely to go into labor prematurely and give birth to low weight babies. Experts say smoking in pregnancy can also cause sudden infant death syndrome after the baby is born.

Greater female autonomy and changes in women's roles are associated with s