Exploring Greek midwives' knowledge, attitudes, and practices in perinatal smoking: A cross-sectional study

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Nursing Research
• Maternal Health

Background:

• Smoking during pregnancy is a major global health issue.
• Midwives are key in supporting pregnant women to stop smoking.
• This study investigates factors influencing midwives' smoking cessation practices in Greece.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore factors associated with midwives' implementation of smoking cessation practices.
• To identify predictors of effective smoking cessation support by midwives.
• To inform interventions for improving maternal and neonatal health outcomes.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional survey of 150 midwives in Greece.
• Data collected via anonymized questionnaires on demographics, knowledge, opinions, perceptions, and practices.
• Exploratory factor analysis and multivariate linear regression used to analyze data.

Main Results:

• Most midwives lacked formal smoking cessation education but desired training.
• Low recognition of secondhand smoke effects and limited confidence in supporting cessation.
• Midwives' perceptions of their role and access to information were linked to practice frequency.

Conclusions:

• Midwives' perceptions, self-efficacy, and information access are crucial for smoking cessation support.
• Targeted education and institutional support are vital to enhance midwives' capacity.
• Findings can guide policy and training to reduce tobacco use in pregnancy.