title: Women's perspectives on smoking and pregnancy and graphic warning labels.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore women's knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs about adverse outcomes associated with smoking during pregnancy and which outcomes might motivate cessation; to explore reactions to graphic warnings depicting 2 adverse outcomes.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twelve focus groups were conducted with women of childbearing age who were current smokers.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Participants had low to moderate awareness of many outcomes and believed it was acceptable to smoke in the first trimester before knowledge of pregnancy. Perceived susceptibility to outcomes was low. Motivators included risk-focused information, especially serious risks to the baby (eg, stillbirth, SIDS). Graphic warnings produced strong reactions, especially the warning with a real photo.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Despite barriers to reducing rates of smoking during pregnancy, educational information and photos depicting babies' risks could motivate women to quit.
authors.affiliation: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, Atlanta, GA, USA. igc1@cdc.gov.
authors.forename: Denise M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Levis
authors.affiliation: RTI International, Public Health Research Division, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA.
authors.forename: Brenda
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Stone-Wiggins
authors.affiliation: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Office on Smoking and Health, Atlanta, GA, USA.
authors.forename: Michelle
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: O'Hegarty
authors.affiliation: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Reproductive Health, Atlanta, GA, USA.
authors.forename: Van T
authors.initials: VT
authors.lastname: Tong
authors.affiliation: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, Atlanta, GA, USA.
authors.forename: Kara N D
authors.initials: KN
authors.lastname: Polen
authors.affiliation: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, Atlanta, GA, USA.
authors.forename: Cynthia H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Cassell
authors.affiliation: RTI International, Public Health Research Division, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA.
authors.forename: Mary
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Council
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D009042:Motivation; D011247:Pregnancy; D011261:Pregnancy Trimester, First; D037841:Pregnant People / Q000523:psychology*; D011356:Product Labeling; D012307:Risk Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D016540:Smoking Cessation / Q000523:psychology*; D016387:Women's Health