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INTRODUCTION Pregnant women are often exposed to secondhand smoke that affects them and their child. Our aim was to determine the effectiveness of family counselling using the BASNEF model on reducing exposure to secondhand smoke at home among pregnant women. METHODS A quasi-experimental study was conducted on 103 pregnant women exposed to secondhand smoke. They were selected using a multistage cluster sampling method and allocated into intervention (50 people) and control (53 people) groups. Four family counseling sessions using the BASNEF model were held for the intervention group while the control group received routine care. The outcomes were measured before and at one month after the last session of counselling. RESULTS In the timeframe before the intervention, the number of days in which there was reported exposure to secondhand smoke was 5.08 ± 1.1 in the intervention group, significantly decreasing to 3.5 ± 1.6 after the intervention (p<0.001). No significant change was observed in the control group (p=0.1). Also, the mean scores of all constructs of the BASNEF model increased significantly after the intervention compared to those of the control group (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS Family counseling had a positive effect on decreasing the exposure to secondhand smoke at home among a sample of pregnant women. The BASNEF model is useful for implementing educational care programs in these settings.

Background Domestic violence is a term that shows aggressive behavior with different physical, psychological, economic, and social dimensions. This concept is considered as one of the health priorities regarding its significant effects on pregnancy, postpartum, and the outcome of pregnancy. The present study was conducted to investigate the effect of family-based counseling on domestic violence against pregnant women. Methods An intervention trial was conducted on 92 pregnant women exposed to domestic violence, selected among 274 pregnant women accessible in Sahneh, Iran. Data collection was performed using the standard questionnaire of domestic violence against women of Mohseni Tabrizi. The pregnant women exposed to violence were randomly assigned to intervention and control groups (in two groups of 45 people). In the intervention group, three 45-min individual counseling sessions were held for the pregnant women and their spouses according to Greeting, Ask, Tell, Help, Explain, and Refer (GATHER) principles. Four weeks after the end of the sessions, the two groups again completed the questionnaire. Results Family-based counseling intervention reduced the mean score of domestic violence in the intervention group from 68.58 ± 9.21 before the intervention to 49.56 ± 8.83 after intervention. Also, various domains of violence including mental, verbal, financial, physical, sexual, and social violence were significantly declined in the intervention group (P < 0.001); however, there was no significant decrease in emotional violence score (P > 0.001). Conclusion Family-based counseling plays a significant role in reducing the various types of violence against women through increasing the awareness of couples and by improving the relationship between couples during pregnancy. It will reduce the incidence of violence against a pregnant woman and consequently reduce complications on the mother and pregnancy outcomes. Family-oriented counseling played a significant role in deterring all forms of violence against women by increasing awareness of couples and improving their relationship during pregnancy. Moreover, family-oriented counseling reduced the incidence of violence against pregnant women and thus deterred maternal complications associated with pregnancy.