Knowledge and Education as Barriers and Facilitators to Nicotine Replacement Therapy Use for Smoking Cessation in Pregnancy: A Qualitative Study with Health Care Professionals

Ross Thomson, Lisa McDaid, Joanne Emery, Felix Naughton, Sue Cooper, Jane Dyas and Tim Coleman
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Ross Thomson: Division of Primary Care, University of Nottingham, Tower Building, University Park, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK
Lisa McDaid: School of Health Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich NR4 7UL, UK
Joanne Emery: School of Health Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich NR4 7UL, UK
Felix Naughton: School of Health Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich NR4 7UL, UK
Sue Cooper: Division of Primary Care, University of Nottingham, Tower Building, University Park, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK
Jane Dyas: Division of Primary Care, University of Nottingham, Tower Building, University Park, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK
Tim Coleman: Division of Primary Care, University of Nottingham, Tower Building, University Park, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK

IJERPH, 2019, vol. 16, issue 10, 1-13

Abstract: Smoking during pregnancy is a leading cause of negative pregnancy and perinatal outcomes. While UK guidelines recommend nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) for smoking cessation during pregnancy, adherence to NRT is generally low and may partially explain why NRT appears less effective in pregnancy compared to non-pregnant smokers. This study aimed to identify and describe factors associated with NRT adherence from a health professional’s perspective. Two focus groups and one expert group were conducted with 26 professionals involved in antenatal stop smoking services and the data were analysed thematically using a template methodology. From our analyses, we extracted two main themes: (i) ‘Barriers to NRT use in pregnancy’ explores the issues of how misinformation and unrealistic expectations could discourage NRT use, while (ii) ‘Facilitators to NRT use in pregnancy’ describes the different information, and modes of delivery, that stop smoking professionals believe will encourage correct and sustained NRT use. Understanding the barriers and facilitators to improve NRT adherence may aid the development of educational interventions to encourage NRT use and improve outcomes for pregnant women wanting to stop smoking.

Keywords: smoking cessation; pregnancy; nicotine replacement therapy; NRT; stop smoking services (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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