Smoking during pregnancy, stigma and secrets: Visual methods exploration in the UK.
Aimee Grant, Melanie Morgan, Dunla Gallagher and 1 others
PMID 30553588WHAT IT FOUND
Women hid smoking and judged public smoking to protect a good-mother identity.
Midwife interactions were described as moralistic, and a carbon monoxide reading in the low-risk zone was used to argue that occasional smoking was acceptable.
Key findings
01Two participants reported smoking at interview, and five reported abstinence during their current pregnancy.
02Women described smoking in private as acceptable but smoking in public as inappropriate or stigmatised.
03Women experienced midwife interactions as moralistic, and a carbon monoxide reading in the low-risk zone was used to defend occasional smoking.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
Small, purposive sample from deprived areas of south Wales. All participants were white, so findings may not transfer to other ethnic groups. Not all participants were current smokers, and smoking status was self-reported. Interviewers had visible positions, including a pregnant researcher, which may have shaped disclosure. Life-history summaries were not validated by participants.
Declared interests
Funded by the Wellcome Trust. The paper reports that a named author previously worked as Research and Policy Officer at Action on Smoking and Health Wales; the remaining authors reported no conflicts.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that visual methods or nonjudgemental communication will reduce smoking in pregnancy. This study describes experiences and does not test an intervention.