Lived experiences of young pregnant women who smoke.

CULTURE; EXPERIENCE; HEALTH behavior; INTERVIEWING; PHENOMENOLOGY; RESEARCH methodology; EVALUATION of medical care; PREGNANCY; PREGNANT women; PUBLIC opinion; SELF-efficacy; SMOKING; WOMEN'S health; JUDGMENT sampling; WELL-being; THEMATIC analysis

Background: Smoking tobacco during pregnancy can lead to adverse pregnancy and child health outcomes. Aim: To gain insight of smoking during pregnancy from young pregnant women's lived experience. Method: A descriptive phenomenological approach was used. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with five women aged 18-20 years who had smoked tobacco during pregnancy. Findings: Themes that emerged from the data were related to culture and routine, psychological wellbeing, self-efficacy, public opinion, recognition of harm, whom they spoke to about smoking, and the approaches that helped behaviour change. Conclusions: Midwives were seen as the trusted health professional by the young women and a non-judgemental approach was valued to promote self-efficacy. Smoking cessation services were not recognised as beneficial, and cutting down, rather than using nicotine replacement therapy or e-cigarettes, was preferred. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]