Abstract
Aims: The primary aim of the study is to explore different factors affecting parents’ smoking behaviour, and especially how smoking may be connected with individual differences in the psychological process of becoming a parent. In the current paper, we present the study design together with basic information on the study population. Methods: The Central Satakunta Maternity and Child Health Clinic (KESALATU) Study is an ongoing prospective follow-up study in primary healthcare of the Satakunta region of southwest Finland. Families were recruited during their first maternity clinic visit between 1 September 2016 and 31 December 2019, and participation will continue until the child is 1.5 years of age. The study combines different sources and types of data: e.g. routine data obtained from primary healthcare clinic records, specific parental self-report data and data from a new exhaled carbon monoxide meter indicating maternal smoking. The data are collected using frequently repeated assessments both during pregnancy and postnatally. The methods cover the following areas of interest: family background factors (including smoking and alcohol use), self-reported parental–foetal/infant attachment and mentalization, self-reported stress, depression and quality of life. Results: 589 pregnant women and their partners were asked to participate in the study during the collection time period. The final study population consisted of 248 (42.1%) pregnant women and 160 (27.1%) partners. Conclusions: The new methods and study design have the potential to increase our understanding about the link between early parenting psychology, prenatal psychosocial risk factors and parental health behaviour.
Highlights
Maternal smoking during pregnancy is the most common harmful exposure during pregnancy compromising foetal and child health
Smoking during pregnancy is known to cause a significant risk to the course of pregnancy, maternal health and the development of the foetus and child
It is a risk factor that could be eliminated with more efficient prevention work
Summary
Maternal smoking during pregnancy is the most common harmful exposure during pregnancy compromising foetal and child health. Smoking during pregnancy has been linked with several well-known adverse effects on pregnancy and foetal outcomes including preterm birth, low birth weight and even neonatal morbidity [1,2]. Maternal second-hand smoke exposure is known to have adverse effects on child health [5]. It is well established that smoking during pregnancy is more common in women who are young, have low educational level, whose partner is a smoker and who have psychiatric problems [4,7]. A study by Härkönen et al showed that socio-economic disparities in smoking during pregnancy are primarily explained by differences in the mother’s level of education [9]
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