Acceptance of smoking cessation support and quitting behaviours of women attending Aboriginal Maternal and Infant Health Services for antenatal care

Abstract

Background: Acceptance of smoking cessation support during antenatal care and associated quitting behaviours of pregnant Aboriginal women or women having an Aboriginal baby has not been investigated. This study aimed to determine, among pregnant women who smoke and attended AMIHS for their antenatal care:1.The acceptance of smoking cessation support, factors associated with acceptance and barriers to acceptance;2.The prevalence of quitting behaviours and factors associated with quitting behaviours. Methods: A cross-sectional telephone survey of women who attended 11 AMIHSs for their antenatal care during a 12 month period in the Hunter New England Local Health District of New South Wales. Results: One hundred women contacted consented to complete the survey (76%). Of those offered cessation support, 68% accepted NRT, 56% accepted follow-up support and 35% accepted a Quitline referral. Participants accepting NRT had greater odds of quitting smoking at least twice during the antenatal period [OR = 6.90 (CI: 1.59–29.7)] and those reporting using NRT for greater than eight weeks had six times the odds of quitting smoking for one day or more [OR = 6.07 (CI: 1.14–32.4)]. Conclusions: Aboriginal women or women having an Aboriginal baby who smoke make multiple attempts to quit during pregnancy and most women accept smoking cessation support when offered by their antenatal care providers. Acceptance of care and quitting success may be improved with increased focus on culturally appropriate care and enhanced training of antenatal care providers to increase skills in treating nicotine addiction and supporting women to use NRT as recommended by treatment guidelines.