Date of Conferral

2023

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Public Health

Advisor

Nancy Rea

Abstract

Tobacco use has been a long-standing known modifiable risk factor to maternal health. Although there have been many efforts to encourage smoking cessation, use of electronic cigarettes in pregnancy has been increasing over the years. Understanding potential factors that may play a role in the increased use of electronic cigarettes is important to improve maternal and fetal health outcomes. The social ecological model provides the theoretical framework for this study. The purpose of this study is to determine whether a woman’s primary language and pregnancy health care factors (i.e., access to health care 12 months prior to pregnancy, access to prenatal care within the first trimester, and health insurance status) are associated with electronic cigarette use during pregnancy. After completing a retrospective logistic regression model of the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring Surveillance System data set for the state of New York, including New York City, it was found that Spanish-speaking mothers were significantly less likely to use electronic cigarettes compared to English-speaking mothers. Other key variables that were found to have a significant effect on maternal use of electronic cigarettes included marital status, health insurance, and postpartum care. This study shows the continued importance of understanding key sociodemographic variables that influence and relate to the use of electronic cigarettes in pregnancy. Implications for positive social change include creating impactful social media campaigns or increasing advertisements that educate individuals of the dangers of electronic cigarette use which can lead to healthier lifestyles for those that at greater risk for use.

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