Summary
The findings from various studies suggest that pregnant smokers who use e-cigarettes may differ in their profiles compared to non-pregnant smokers who use e-cigarettes. Specifically, the studies found that a significant portion of dual users (smoking both conventional and electronic cigarettes) transition to exclusive smoking during pregnancy and the postpartum period. Additionally, e-cigarette users were more likely to be persistent cigarette smokers throughout pregnancy compared to never smokers, ex-smokers, pregnancy-inspired quitters, and temporary quitters.
The findings also indicate that the association between smoking cessation and e-cigarette use during pregnancy may differ from that seen in non-pregnant smokers. Furthermore, the studies found that participants with more than a high school education had higher odds of e-cigarette use, which contradicts previous studies. A new finding from the analysis includes the association between increasing health concerns during pregnancy and e-cigarette use.
The strengths of these studies include contributing to the limited literature examining the profile of pregnant smokers who use e-cigarettes, and having demographic distributions similar to prior national samples of pregnant smokers. However, further research is necessary to fully understand the effects of e-cigarette use on the fetus and its potential efficacy for smoking cessation during pregnancy.
Citation
Doherty LK. Electronic Cigarette Use among Pregnant Cigarette Smokers in the Quit4Baby Trial: Predictive Factors of Use, the Efficacy of e-Cigarettes for Smoking Cessation, and Associations between Combined Cigarette and e-Cigarette Use and the Risk of Adverse Neonatal Outcomes. Ph.D. The George Washington University; 2022.
