Introduction: Smoking is definitely a habit that should be discontinued during pregnancy; nevertheless studies show that some pregnant women continue smoking despite its harmful consequences. The aim of the thesis was to study the reasons behind smoking behaviours of women during pregnancy, define the characteristics of women who continue smoking during pregnancy, and test their knowledge of possible consequences of smoking. Methods: In the first part of the thesis, a descriptive method of research was adopted based on a review of scientific and professional literature. Literature search was carried out in the databases: DiKUL, CINAHL, Medline, COBISS, ScienceDirect and Google Scholar. Reviewed literature dates back to 2004. In the second part of the thesis, a causal non-experimental method of empirical research was applied supported by a data collection questionnaire survey. The research instrument was a questionnaire that was published on Facebook social network and forwarded by e-mail. Collected data was analysed and statistically evaluated with the help of a tool for online surveys 1ka. Participation in the survey was anonymous and voluntary. Results: In the study, 118 women participated who were or remain active smokers and experienced at least one pregnancy. Women who tended to continue smoking during pregnancy were younger, with lower levels of education, women whose partners smoked during pregnancy and women who smoked more than 10 cigarettes daily before the onset of pregnancy. The women reported that the most common reason for smoking cessation during pregnancy was awareness that it may harm the baby (37 %) whereas the most frequent reason to continue smoking during pregnancy was failure to quit smoking (36 %). Only 39.3 % of all respondents had 50 % or more knowledge on harmful effects of smoking during pregnancy. Discussion and conclusion: Women who wish to stop smoking during pregnancy need more support for the failure rate in smoking cessation to be reduced. The partner should also be included into the process of smoking cessation. Additionally, women possess insufficient knowledge of the harmful effects of smoking during pregnancy on the course of pregnancy and on the foetus.
|