TY - GEN A1 - Schilling, Laura A1 - Schneider, Sven A1 - Maul, Holger A1 - Spallek, Jacob T1 - STudy on E-Cigarettes and Pregnancy (STEP)–Study Protocolof a Mixed Methods Study on Risk Perception of E-Cigarette UseDuring Pregnancy and Sample Description T2 - Geburtshilfe und Frauenheilkunde N2 - Introduction: During pregnancy, the motherʼs healthy life-style is crucial for the health of the fetus. Potential risk factorsfor maternal and child health should therefore be identifiedand reduced as early as possible. The consumption of e-ciga-rettes represents one of these potential risk factors. Exploringrisk perceptions about e-cigarette use during pregnancy canprovide early indications of possible user motives. Therefore,our mixed methodsSTudy onE-cigarettes andPregnancy(STEP) aimed to comprehensively analyze risk perceptionsabout e-cigarette use during pregnancy based on anInte-gratedHealthBeliefModel (IHBM). This paper describes thestudy design, methods, sample population and limitations ofSTEP. Methods: Our sequential mixed methods study combinedqualitative and quantitative approaches. In the qualitativesection of the study which preceded the quantitative part ofthe study, we aimed to characterize risk perceptions aboute‑cigarette use during pregnancy. We used a netnographic re-search approach which analyzed discussion threads in onlineforums dealing with e-cigarette use during pregnancy. Theanalysis was based on an IHBM. Identified themes were incor-porated in the questionnaire which was developed for the quantitative part of the study. The quantitative section aimedto quantify, among other things, perceived threats, barriersand benefits and to explore differences in risk perception ac-cording to sociodemographic characteristics and tobacco ande-cigarette usage. Results: In the qualitative section, 1552 posts in 25 online dis-cussion threads dealing, inter alia, with e-cigarette use duringpregnancy were identified. The quantitative part looked atthe responses in the questionnaires handed in by 575 preg-nant women who attended a hospital in Hamburg (Germany)from April 2018 to January 2019 (response rate: 27.5%). Conclusion: Data collection was successful for both the qual-itative and quantitative parts of the study. When interpretingthe results of STEP, different limitations should be taken intoaccount. The results of STEP provide starting points for thedevelopment of tailored preventive measures for pregnantwomen. KW - e‑cigarette KW - pregnancy KW - risk perception KW - mixed methods study KW - Health Belief Model Y1 - 2020 UR - https://opus4.kobv.de/opus4-UBICO/frontdoor/index/index/docId/25045 UR - https://www.thieme-connect.de/products/ejournals/pdf/10.1055/a-1061-7288.pdf SN - 1438-8804 SN - 0016-5751 VL - 80 IS - 01 SP - 66 EP - 75 ER -