Learning Objective #1: Determine the significance of the study by identifying the scope of the problem and knowledge gaps in extant research

Learning Objective #2: Recognize the process leading to the generative theory of male partner participation in smoking cessation during pregnancy

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Problem: Cigarette smoking is the single most preventable cause of disease and death in the United States. Smoking during pregnancy seriously compromises infant birth-weight, which can increase the risk of infant morbidity and mortality. Women report that partner support is critical in their efforts to quit smoking during pregnancy and for them to remain quit post-partum. However, we have little knowledge of the social processes that underpin her partner's participation in smoking cessation during this time.

Purpose: The purpose of this qualitative study is to describe how male partners may or may not participate in their partner's attempt to stop smoking during pregnancy.

Design: Male partners of pregnant women will be purposively sampled from a current NIH funded study of women's smoking cessation during pregnancy. Approximately 20-30 individual tape-recorded interviews will be conducted and transcribed by June 2005. Grounded theory method and constant comparative analysis will be used to gather and analyze data. The result of this study will be a generative explanatory theory of participation in the smoking cessation of women during pregnancy, grounded in the experiences of male partners.

Implications: The long-term goals are to increase nursing knowledge about the roles of male partners in promoting health behavior change during pregnancy, to build a theoretical foundation for explaining and understanding smoking behavior during this time, and to guide nursing practice and research in the areas of maternal, child, and family health.