The prenatal smoking rate among women covered by Medicaid is four times higher than non-Medicaid women in New Hampshire. Why is it so difficult for low-income pregnant women to stop smoking? This is an important question because about two-thirds of the pregnant smokers in the United States are Medicaid recipients. They know that smoking is harmful to themselves and their unborn children – for this reason they often fail to disclose their smoking status. A natural history study was conducted in six NH clinics to determine quit rates, corrected for deception, among white Medicaid pregnant women and to explore aspects of their social support for quitting smoking during pregnancy. Pregnant women who lived with another adult and were smoking at their intake visit completed a baseline and three month follow-up survey. Smoking status was cotinine validated. A previous study found significantly more women who smoked during pregnancy used smoking to handle stress; they reported cigarettes as calming (p=.003). Women who lived with one or more smokers reported less support for not smoking following the birth of their baby (p=.003) but not for quitting while pregnant. Perceived stress, general social support, social support for quitting from another adult in the household and smoking behavior in the home were explored in the natural history study. The impact of these socio/cultural factors and potential ways to modify brief counseling interventions for Medicaid pregnant women will be discussed.
Learning Objectives: 1) Understand the importance of social support for quitting smoking among Medicaid pregnant women. 2) Describe potential opportunities for addressing social support within brief smoking cessation counseling interventions.
Keywords: Smoking Cessation, Prenatal Interventions
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.