Smoking cessation and relapse among pregnant African-American smokers in Washington, DC

Ayman A E El-Mohandes1, M Nabil El-Khorazaty, Michele Kiely

  • 1College of Public Health, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA.

Smoking is the single most preventable cause of perinatal morbidity. This study examines smoking behaviors during pregnancy in a high risk population of African Americans. The study also examines risk factors associated with smoking behaviors and cessation in response to a cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) intervention. This study is a secondary analysis of data from a randomized controlled trial addressing multiple risks during pregnancy. Five hundred African-American Washington, DC residents who reported smoking in the 6 months preceding pregnancy were randomized to a CBT intervention. Psycho-social and behavioral data were collected. Self-reported smoking and salivary cotinine levels were measured prenatally and postpartum to assess changes in smoking behavior. Comparisons were made between active smokers and those abstaining at baseline and follow-up in pregnancy and postpartum. Sixty percent of participants reported quitting spontaneously during pregnancy. In regression models, smoking at baseline was associated with older age,

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