Journal of Addiction Research & Therapy
Open Access

Research Article

An Exploration of Young Australian Women's Smoking Cessation Goals across the Trajectory of Pregnancy and Post Birth

Lucy Lewis^1*, Yvonne Hauck¹, Fiona Ronchi², Caroline Crichton², Chloe Western², Steve Allsop³ and Dorota Doherty⁴

¹School of Nursing, Midwifery and Paramedicine, Curtin University, Bentley, Perth, and Department of Nursing and Midwifery Education and Research, King Edward Memorial Hospital, Subiaco, Australia

²Department of Nursing and Midwifery Education and Research, King Edward Memorial Hospital, Western Australia, Australia

³National Drug Research Institute Curtin University, Bentley, Perth, Western Australia

⁴School of Women’s and Infants’ Health, The University of Western Australia, Nedlands, Perth, Western Australia

*Corresponding Author:

Lucy Lewis
Midwifery Research Fellow
School of Nursing, Midwifery and Paramedicine
Curtin University, Bentley, Perth, and Department of Nursing and Midwifery Education and Research
King Edward Memorial Hospital, Subiaco, Australia
Tel: 61 8 6458 3024
Fax: +61 8 9340-1590
E-mail: Lucy.Lewis@health.wa.gov.au

Received date: November 24, 2016; Accepted date: December 14, 2016; Published date: December 21, 2016

Citation: Lewis L, Hauck Y, Ronchi F, Crichton C, Western C, et al. (2016) An Exploration of Young Australian Women's Smoking Cessation Goals across the Trajectory of Pregnancy and Post Birth. J Addict Res Ther 7:301. doi:10.4172/2155-6105.1000301

Copyright: © 2016 Lewis L, et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited

Objective: Young pregnant women are more likely than other pregnant women to smoke tobacco during pregnancy and post birth. This study explored young women’s perceptions of the factors which impact their smoking cessation goals throughout pregnancy and post birth. Methods: This qualitative descriptive study was performed at two metropolitan obstetric hospitals in Western Australia. Forty three women aged 16 to 24 years old who reported smoking tobacco at their first antenatal visit were interviewed at each scheduled antenatal visit and every two weeks upto six weeks post birth. Interviews were subjected to thematic analysis. Results: A total of 244 interviews were performed; a mean of six interviews per woman (four in pregnancy and two post birth). Four overarching themes across three time periods were identified: the baby; the social bond of smoking; the chaotic nature of life; and access to social support. Pregnant women had a foetus-centric approach to cessation. Post birth those who sustained cessation held this belief for their newborn, whilst those who relapsed did not. The social bond of smoking highlighted smoking as the norm. Initially, women sought out non-smokers to support them. A partner’s smoking status post birth appeared pivotal to remaining tobacco free. The chaotic nature of life, reflected through multiple stressful, negative events, challenged women in achieving their smoking cessation goals. Women who sought social support appeared to stay smoke free post birth. Conclusion: The longitudinal nature of this study provides new insight into complex issues faced by this marginalised group of young, pregnant, tobacco smokers throughout the journey of pregnancy and post birth. Findings enhance our understanding of the complex real life issues some young pregnant Australian smokers face and may be considered when women focused smoking cessation interventions are developed.

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