Knowledge and Attitudes of Adults towards Smoking in Pregnancy: Results from the HealthStyles© 2008 Survey

Details

• Alternative Title:
  Matern Child Health J
• Personal Author:
  Polen, Kara ND ; Sandhu, Paramjit K. ; Honein, Margaret A. ; Green, Katie K. ; Berkowitz, Judy M. ; Pace, Jill ; Rasmussen, Sonja A.
• Description:
  Objectives
  
  Smoking during pregnancy is causally associated with many adverse health outcomes. Quitting smoking, even late in pregnancy, improves some outcomes. Among adults in general and reproductive-aged women, we sought to understand knowledge and attitudes towards prenatal smoking and its effects on pregnancy outcomes.
  
  Methods
  
  Using data from the 2008 HealthStyles© survey, we assessed knowledge and attitudes about prenatal smoking and smoking cessation. We classified respondents as having high knowledge if they gave ≥5 correct responses to 6 knowledge questions regarding the health effects of prenatal smoking. We calculated frequencies of correct responses to assess knowledge about prenatal smoking and estimated relative risk (RR) to examine knowledge by demographic and lifestyle factors.
  
  Results
  
  Only 15% of all respondents and 23% of reproductive-aged women had high knowledge of the adverse effects of prenatal smoking on pregnancy outcomes. Preterm birth and low birth weight were most often recognized as adverse outcomes associated with prenatal smoking. Nearly 70% of reproductive-aged women smokers reported they would quit smoking if they became pregnant without any specific reasons from their doctor. Few respondents recognized the benefits of quitting smoking after the first trimester of pregnancy.
  
  Conclusions
  
  Our results suggest that many women lack knowledge regarding the increased risks for adverse outcomes associated with prenatal smoking. Healthcare providers should follow the recommendations provided by the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, which include educating women about the health risks of prenatal smoking and the benefits of quitting. Healthcare providers should emphasize quitting smoking even after the first trimester of pregnancy.
  
  
• Subjects:
  Adolescent Adult Article Female Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice Health Surveys Humans Male Physician-Patient Relations Pregnancy Pregnancy Trimester, First Pregnant Women Prenatal Care Smoking Smoking Cessation Surveys And Questionnaires Young Adult

  More +
• Source:
  Matern Child Health J. 19(1):144-154.
• Pubmed ID:
  24825031
• Pubmed Central ID:
  PMC4594848
• Document Type:
  Journal Article
• Funding:
  CC999999/Intramural CDC HHS/United States
• Place as Subject:
  United States
• Volume:
  19
• Issue:
  1
• Collection(s):
  CDC Public Access
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha256:10f931091eff1db789a7580d6d5ef6a372d79f40134791c737d9ccf345d6ccb2
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/34833/cdc_34833_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 416.67 KB ]