Title: Coping Behaviors of Low-Income Pregnant Women Attempting Smoking Cessation Purpose: It is unclear what types of coping strategies “spontaneous” quitters use during pregnancy to avoid smoking. Relapse rates following delivery exceed 50% of those women who attempt smoking cessation during pregnancy, so identifying functional coping strategies among successful quitters would be of benefit . The purpose of this study was to explore the types, frequency, and effectiveness of coping strategies used by low-income women who were attempting to stop smoking in early pregnancy. Theoretical Framework: A grounded theory approach was used to describe the process of quitting smoking during pregnancy for low-income pregnant ex-smokers. Sample: 60 pregnant women who self-reported as an ex-smoker were recruited to participate in a longitudinal study to examine coping strategies over the course of the pregnancy and in the postpartum period. Of the 60 self-reported ex-smokers, 49 had biological confirmation of their smoking status. Method: Face-to-face interviews were scheduled for a total of three times over the course of pregnancy and postpartum. The first interview was conducted prior to the 20th week of gestation. The second interview took place between the 28th and 34th week of pregnancy, and the last interview was scheduled to occur between the 8th and 12th weeks postpartum. Women were asked to describe how they handled an urge or temptation to smoke. In addition, they were given the opportunity to talk about other strategies they used to avoid getting urges to smoke while pregnant. Results: Data analysis is on-going at this time. Preliminary findings from the first and second interviews suggest that strategies identified in early pregnancy that assist with not smoking (fatigue, nausea, thinking about the harm to the baby) are not used in the latter part of pregnancy.
Session #1219 - Poster Session I
The 29th Annual MNRS Research Conference (April 1-4, 2005)