Stage of change, low income and benefit status: a profile of women's smoking in early pregnancy

Abstract

Smoking cessation interventions in the UK are being developed in the context of widening socio-economic differentials in both prevalence and cessation. These differ entials are evident among pregnant women, the group targeted for interventions directed at women. Recent research has suggested that, among the disadvantages associated with low socio-economic status, being dependent on means-tested benefits may be a particularly powerful influence on snuokimg status and a major barrier to quitting. Intervention programmes have been heavily influenced by the transtheoretical model, which maps the quitting process as a patterned sequeuce of 'stages of change'. However, little is known about the stage-of-change profile in the UK population or about the socio- economic patterning of the profile. This paper begins to fill these gaps in the knowledge base of health promotion with respect to women in pregnancy. It reports on a survey of 2000 expectant mothers conducted in 1996 in the West Midlands. First pregnancy was found to have an intervention-like effect, with a high proportion of first-time expectant mothers who entered pregnancy as smokers either planning to quit or having done so. This intervention-like effect was moderated by women's socio-economic circumstances. Being in receipt of means-tested benefits increased the odds of a woman not intending to give up smoking in the foreseeable future.

What can be done to prevent smoking in pregnancy? a literature review

“…In a survey of eight hundred and ten pregnant women in the UK who were smokers or had formerly smoked, Batten et al (1999) examined the relevance of the "stages of change" model. First-time mothers were more ready to quit (32%) than women who had previously experienced pregnancy (15%).…”

Implementing smoking policies within Trusts: nurses' perceptions and views of effectiveness and implications

“…One example of this with regards to policy development is that in many cases it appears that little consideration has been given to the addictive nature of tobacco, with many policies implicitly assuming that smokers can and should be able to quit their habit at will ( Paxton 1992). Conversely, Batten (1990) found that the most successfully implemented smoking policies included such initiatives as developing support programmes for smokers wishing to quit. Another example with regards to policy implementation is that nursing staff are often expected to ‘police’ the smoking policy, with little consideration having been given to the adverse effects that such a role could have on the nurse–patient relationship ( Philpot 1994).…”

Smoking cessation intervention with pregnant women and new parents: A survey of health visitors, midwives and practice nurses

“…At present, there are over 120,000 deaths per annum attributed to smoking-related causes in the United Kingdom (Gould et al, 2000) and smoking during pregnancy is the single most preventable cause of premature death and poor birth outcomes (Price et al, 2006). Globally, research studies have suggested that smoking in pregnancy is associated with personal stress, socio-economic deprivation and addiction to tobacco (Batten et al, 1999). While UK rates of smoking during pregnancy are higher than the rest of Europe, Canada and the United States, no specific factors have been identified that explain the elevated British rate (Silagy et al, 2001).…”