Toward enhancing treatment for pregnant smokers: Laying the groundwork for the use of complementary and alternative medicine approaches

Abstract

Introduction: Although effective treatments exist, most women who smoke during pregnancy neither seek nor receive treatment. Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) treatments (eg, mindfulness, yoga, and acupuncture) may be attractive, low-cost options that can be used to assist a large proportion of pregnant women with smoking cessation. Methods: This study examined participant characteristics and treatment utilization among pregnant smokers in the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) and the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) in order to explore the prevalence and predictors of CAM use for any purpose within this population. Results: Results indicated that a considerable proportion (6.9%-29.1%) of pregnant smokers are already accessing CAM, particularly Whites and those of greater socioeconomic status. Use of yoga, meditation, and massage increased across study waves. NSDUH participants were most likely to report seeking chiropractic or massage therapy; NHIS participants most frequently reported use of herbs/supplements, deep breathing, and meditation. Conclusions: Up to roughly a quarter of women endorsed traditional/conventional and CAM treatment use, suggesting that some pregnant smokers are open to trying a variety of approaches to promote health. Further research is needed to validate CAM treatments for smoking cessation and to guide safety and treatment recommendations during pregnancy. Implications: CAM treatments may be an attractive treatment alternative for pregnant smokers. However, no previous investigations have examined whether pregnant smokers seek out these treatments. Using nationally representative survey data, the present study aimed to explore whether pregnant smokers use CAM treatments. We found that approximately 7%-29% of pregnant smokers reported using a variety of CAM methods, suggesting the need for further investigation into the efficacy and dissemination of CAM for smoking in pregnancy.