Factors associated with quit attempts and quitting among Eastern Hungarian women who smoked at the time of pregnancy

Abstract

Introduction: The purpose of this research was to assess factors associated with quit attempts and successful smoking cessation among a sample of socioeconomically disadvantaged pregnant women living in Eastern Hungary.

Materials and methods: In-person interviews were conducted among 201 women residing in Eastern Hungary who self-identified as occasional or regular smokers at the time they learned they were pregnant.

Results: 54% of the women were smokers at the time they learned they were pregnant. Just over half tried to quit, but only 20% were successful. Factors associated with reduced likelihood of quit attempts included being a regular (vs. occasional) smoker (OR = 0.36, 95% CI 0.13-1.00) and being Roma (vs. non-Roma) (OR = 0.32, 95% CI 0.14-0.72). Women who completed high school were 7% times more likely to quit (OR = 7.5, 95% CI 1.68-33.2) and those who were employed were 7% times more likely to quit (OR = 7.6, 95% CI 1.88-30.35). Regular smokers were 88% less likely to quit than occasional smokers.

Discussion: Smoking cessation interventions targeting pregnant women are needed in Eastern Hungary. Efforts to integrate smoking cessation into the current excellent pre-natal care and health visitor program will reach most women who are pregnant or who have given birth within the preceding 3 years.