Abstract
Tobacco smoking during pregnancy contributes to a range of adverse perinatal outcomes; but is a potentially modifiable behavior. In Australia Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women face a range of barriers that hinder; rather than support smoking cessation. Few smoking cessation programs consider the broader social determinants of women’s lives; the gendered nature of these or the complexities which impinge on behavior change in the presence of social and economic disadvantage and substantial individual and intergenerational trauma. Drawing on the salient gender and trauma-informed literature this paper describes the rationale underpinning formative research which will inform the design of a localized, culturally meaningful smoking cessation program for Aboriginal women living in the Hedland and Western Desert communities of the remote Pilbara region of Western Australia. We contend that a women-centered, trauma-informed approach to smoking cessation has much to offer those seeking to address this critical public health issue
Highlights
As a result of national, state and territory policies Australia has one of the lowest prevalence rates of smoking in the world [1]
Drawing on the available Australian and international literature of what has worked and what has not worked in supporting Indigenous women and girls to have smoke free pregnancies, this paper synthesizes the salient evidence to support the development of a novel approach to smoking cessation in a distinct geographical region
We propose that trauma-informed approaches to smoking cessation interventions require health professionals being aware of the impact of trauma in women’s lives and taking care to avoid judgmental or shaming approaches when addressing women’s smoking, as this is likely to cause further harm and/or create barriers for women who want help to stop smoking [40]
Summary
As a result of national, state and territory policies Australia has one of the lowest prevalence rates of smoking in the world [1] Despite this achievement, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people ( referred to as Aboriginal people) are three times more likely to smoke tobacco than their non-Aboriginal counterparts [2]. Drawing on the available Australian and international literature of what has worked and what has not worked in supporting Indigenous women and girls to have smoke free pregnancies, this paper synthesizes the salient evidence to support the development of a novel approach to smoking cessation in a distinct geographical region This includes describing the rationale for approaching the research from a women-centered and trauma-informed perspective from the outset and highlights the importance of drawing on local cultural knowledge to develop supportive approaches to smoking cessation more likely to gain traction with women in these communities
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
