Tobacco use and pregnancy Mothers’ social representations and perceptions in Québec
The harmful impacts of tobacco use during pregnancy have now been well demonstrated. It is also now known that pregnancy is a period of many changes in which mothers-to-be are more susceptible to reduce or totally stop their smoking. Despite the information given about the damages of smoking, some of them keep up the habit during their pregnancy. Those women tend to come from lower socioeconomic statuses. The meaning women give to tobacco use during pregnancy, whether they are smokers or not, has been little documented. The purpose of this study was to identify mothers-to-be’s social representations and perceptions regarding tobacco use during pregnancy as well as to identify their perceptions of the information they receive. Data was collected through semi-directed individual interviews conducted with women from various socioeconomic settings. All the participants said that tobacco use during pregnancy was harmful and should be avoided. However, many of them had great difficulty explaining why it was so and what the damages of smoking could be. Beyond their knowledge on the harmful effects of tobacco use during pregnancy, it is rather the social identity and its foundation that determine their perception of risk, their choice to smoke or not and the main social representation of tobacco use during pregnancy. Social norms, social networks, personal experiences and those of their network build the representation or risk and have an impact on the capacity to change their behaviours.