@misc{SchillingSchneiderMauletal., author = {Schilling, Laura and Schneider, Sven and Maul, Holger and Spallek, Jacob}, title = {STudy on E-Cigarettes and Pregnancy (STEP)-Study Protocolof a Mixed Methods Study on Risk Perception of E-Cigarette UseDuring Pregnancy and Sample Description}, series = {Geburtshilfe und Frauenheilkunde}, volume = {80}, journal = {Geburtshilfe und Frauenheilkunde}, number = {01}, issn = {1438-8804}, doi = {10.1055/a-1061-7288}, pages = {66 -- 75}, abstract = {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.}, language = {en} } @misc{SchillingSpallekMauletal., author = {Schilling, Laura and Spallek, Jacob and Maul, Holger and Schneider, Sven}, title = {Study on E-Cigarettes and Pregnancy (STEP) - Results of a Mixed Methods Study on Risk Perceptionof E-Cigarette Use During Pregnancy}, series = {Geburtshilfe und Frauenheilkunde}, volume = {81}, journal = {Geburtshilfe und Frauenheilkunde}, number = {02}, issn = {0016‑5751}, doi = {10.1055/a-1308-2376}, pages = {214 -- 223}, abstract = {Introduction E-cigarette use during pregnancy is a risk factor for maternal and fetal health. Early studies on animals showed that in utero exposure to e-cigarettes can have negative health outcomes for the fetus. There has been only limited research into the risk perceptions of e-cigarette use during pregnancy. This study was conducted to comprehensively characterize the constructs of risk perceptions with regard to e-cigarette use during pregnancy using an Integrated Health Belief Model (IHBM). Methods Our STudy on E-cigarettes and Pregnancy (STEP)used a mixed methods approach, with the study divided intoan initial qualitative part and a quantitative part. A netno-graphic approach was used for the first part, which consistedof the analysis of 1552 posts from 25 German-language on-line discussion threads on e-cigarette use during pregnancy. Using these qualitative results, a quantitative questionnaire was developed to explore risk perception constructs about e‑cigarette use during pregnancy. This questionnaire was subsequently administered to pregnant women (n = 575) in onehospital in Hamburg, Germany. Descriptive and bivariate analysis was used to examine differences in risk perception ac-cording to participantsʼ tobacco and e-cigarette user status before and during pregnancy. While the study design, methods and sample have been extensively described in our recently published study protocol in the January 2020 issue of Geburtshilfe und Frauenheilkunde, this paper is devoted to apresentation of the results of our mixed methods study. Results Themes related to perceived threats identified in the qualitative study part were nicotine-related health risks and po-tential health risks of additional ingredients. Perceived benefits were possibility and facilitation of smoking cessationand a pre-sumed potential to reduce harm. The subsequent quantitative part showed that nearly all participants (99.3\%) perceivede‑cigarettes which contained nicotine as constituting a threat to the health of the unborn child. The most commonly perceived barrier was health-related (96.6\%), while the most commonly perceived benefit was a reduction in the amount of tobacco cigarettes consumed (31.8\%). We found that partic-ularly perceived benefits varied depending on the partici-pantʼs tobacco and e-cigarette user status. Conclusion When considering future prevention strategies, the potential health risks and disputed effectiveness of e-cigarettes as a tool for smoking cessation need to be taken intoaccount and critically discussed.}, language = {en} }