E-Cigarettes in Pregnancy in the North West
Research type
Research Study
Full title
E-Cigarette Use During Pregnancy in the North-West of England
IRAS ID
298440
Contact name
Bryony L. Rowan
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Liverpool John Moores University
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 6 months, 3 days
Research summary
Statistics England (2020) shows that more women in the North West, and especially Cheshire and Merseyside, are smoking at time of birth than the UK national average. There are significant risks to the health of unborn children when mothers smoke throughout their pregnancy, and so this research aims to reduce adverse birth outcomes by reducing tobacco consumption. This will in turn reduce existing health inequalities between areas of higher and lower deprivation, different socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds. There are currently no statistics available regarding women’s use of e-cigarettes to quit smoking in pregnancy in the UK. This research aims to change this, providing statistics showing the prevalence of e-cigarette use throughout and shortly after pregnancy. Existing research shows that women believe adverse health outcomes are significantly more likely to be caused by cigarettes than e-cigarettes. Research has also found that health care professionals discuss the health effects of cigarettes significantly more than e-cigarettes. This research aims to address the gaps in the literature by examining relationships between use of e-cigarettes in pregnancy, socioeconomic status, and tobacco use, as well as exploring the views of pregnant women and healthcare professionals working in maternity services on the use of e-cigarettes for pregnancy smoking cessation. A series of three related studies will be used to meet the objectives; a survey to assess prevalence and views of pregnant women; semi-structured interviews to explore these findings in greater detail, and focus groups to explore the views of healthcare professionals.
REC name
West Midlands - Solihull Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
22/WM/0233
Date of REC Opinion
14 Nov 2022
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion