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Study on E-Cigarettes and Pregnancy (STEP) – Results of a Mixed Methods Study on Risk Perceptionof E-Cigarette Use During Pregnancy

  • 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 subsequentlyIntroduction 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.show moreshow less

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Metadaten
Author: Laura Schilling, Jacob SpallekORCiDGND, Holger Maul, Sven Schneider
URL:https://www.thieme-connect.com/products/ejournals/pdf/10.1055/a-1308-2376.pdf
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1055/a-1308-2376
ISSN:0016‑5751
Title of the source (German):Geburtshilfe und Frauenheilkunde
Document Type:Scientific journal article peer-reviewed
Language:English
Year of publication:2021
Tag:Health Belief Model; electronic cigarette; mixed methods; online forums; pregnancy; risk perception
Volume/Year:81
Issue number:02
First Page:214
Last Page:223
Faculty/Chair:Fakultät 4 Humanwissenschaften (bis 2023 Soziale Arbeit, Gesundheit und Musik) / FG Gesundheitswissenschaften
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