Motivating prepartum smoking cessation: a consideration of biomarker feedback

Maternal smoking is the single most important modifiable cause of poor pregnancy outcomes in the United States. To further reduce prepartum smoking prevalence, new and innovative treatment strategies have been called for. According to the Public Health Service's clinical practice guideline, one counseling strategy that warrants further investigation is use of biomarker feedback to educate women about the adverse effects of their smoking and the risks it poses to their health and the health of their unborn children. Many women who fail to quit smoking during pregnancy underestimate its risks. Providing tangible evidence of smoking-related risk may help motivate future cessation attempts. This article looks at the rationale and evidence for using biomarker feedback as a cessation aid during pregnancy. Limitations of the existing research and key considerations for future investigations are presented.