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Home / American Journal of Health Behavior, Number 5, September 2014

Women's Perspectives on Smoking and Pregnancy and Graphic Warning Labels

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Objectives: To explore women's knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs about adverse outcomes associated with smoking during pregnancy and which outcomes might motivate cessation; to explore reactions to graphic warnings depicting 2 adverse outcomes. Methods: Twelve focus groups were conducted with women of childbearing age who were current smokers. Results: Participants had low to moderate awareness of many outcomes and believed it was acceptable to smoke in the first trimester before knowledge of pregnancy. Perceived susceptibility to outcomes was low. Motivators included risk-focused information, especially serious risks to the baby (eg, stillbirth, SIDS). Graphic warnings produced strong reactions, especially the warning with a real photo. Conclusions: Despite barriers to reducing rates of smoking during pregnancy, educational information and photos depicting babies' risks could motivate women to quit.

Keywords: ATTITUDES AND BELIEFS; FOCUS GROUPS; GRAPHIC WARNINGS; KNOWLEDGE; SMOKING DURING PREGNANCY; TOBACCO CONTROL AND POLICY; WOMEN OF CHILDBEARING AGE

Document Type: Research Article

Affiliations: 1: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, Atlanta, GA, USA. [email protected] 2: RTI International, Public Health Research Division, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA 3: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Office on Smoking and Health, Atlanta, GA, USA 4: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Reproductive Health, Atlanta, GA, USA 5: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, Atlanta, GA, USA

Publication date: 01 September 2014

More about this publication?

  • The American Journal of Health Behavior seeks to improve the quality of life through multidisciplinary health efforts in fostering a better understanding of the multidimensional nature of both individuals and social systems as they relate to health behaviors.

    The Journal aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the impact of personal attributes, personality characteristics, behavior patterns, social structure, and processes on health maintenance, health restoration, and health improvement; to disseminate knowledge of holistic, multidisciplinary approaches to designing and implementing effective health programs; and to showcase health behavior analysis skills that have been proven to affect health improvement and recovery.

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