Leveraging technology to address the problem of cigarette smoking among women of reproductive age

Abstract

Women of reproductive age and particularly pregnant women underutilize evidence-based smoking cessation services such as counseling and quit lines. Mobile health (mHealth) may constitute an unexplored and innovative avenue for providing smoking cessation support to a population that is otherwise difficult to reach with evidence-based interventions. Female respondents aged 18–44 years (N = 10,023) were drawn from the first wave of the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) study (2013–2014). We examined prevalence of use of various digital forms of communication (e.g., social media, text messaging, smartphone ownership) among non-pregnant women of reproductive age, pregnant women, and among smokers versus non-smokers within these groups. Multiple logistic regression modeling was conducted to identify correlates of using each digital form adjusting for smoking status, pregnancy, and demographic characteristics. Over two thirds of women overall and within subgroups of non-pregnant and pregnant smokers reported using social media, owning a cell phone, owning a smartphone, downloading apps, and sending/receiving text messages. Current smokers and those with lower educational attainment generally had lower odds of using each digital form relative to non-smokers and those with higher educational attainment, the exception being that smokers had higher odds of using social media relative to non-smokers. The high prevalence of using various digital forms among both non-pregnant smokers of reproductive age and pregnant smokers suggests that leveraging technology to expand access to prevention, education, and treatment resources may reduce smoking-attributable adverse health effects among reproductive-aged women and their offspring.