Smoking in the home after childbirth: A qualitative exploration of the experiences and beliefs of women who abstained from smoking for at least part of pregnancy but had relapsed by the early postnatal period
Sophie Orton PhD Student, School of Medicine, Division of Primary Care, University of Nottingham.
Abstract
Many women stop smoking during pregnancy but relapse shortly afterwards, putting their infants at risk of secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure. Women who were able to stop during pregnancy are a potentially motivated group who may be receptive to making behaviour changes postnatally to protect their infant from SHS. Understanding more about their views and home smoking behaviours may inform intervention development to prevent infant SHS exposure. We conducted and analysed nine semi-structured interviews with women who quit smoking during pregnancy, but relapsed ≤3 months postnatally, using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis.
Central to mothers’ accounts of their smoking behaviours during pregnancy and postnatally was their desire to be a ‘responsible mother’. Mothers described using strategies to protect their infant from SHS exposure, and held strong negative attitudes towards other smoking parents. After relapsing, mothers tended to reposition themselves as ‘social/occasional’ smokers rather than ‘regular’ smokers. Findings suggest that interventions to prevent/ reduce infants' home SHS exposure should build on mothers' intentions to be responsible parents. As mothers who relapse principally view themselves as occasional or social smokers, interventions that are highlighted as relevant for women with these types of smoking patterns are more likely to be responded to, and, ultimately, be effective.
Source of funding: This abstract represents work funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) School for Primary Care Research (NIHR SPCR). The NIHR SPCR is a partnership between the Universities of Birmingham, Bristol, Keele, Manchester, Nottingham, Oxford, Southampton and University College London. This article presents independent research funded by the NIHR under the Programme Grants for Applied Research programme (RP-PG-0109-10020). The views expressed are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the NHS, the NIHR or the Department of Health.
Declaration of interest: The authors have no conflicts of interest.
