Smoking motives, quitting motives, and opinions about smoking cessation support among expectant or new fathers.

Objective: The aims of this study were to identify smoking and quitting motives among expectant or new fathers who were in the precontemplation or contemplation stage of smoking cessation and to explore their perceptions of smoking cessation interventions.

Design: This study used a descriptive qualitative design.

Setting: The study was conducted in an outpatient antenatal clinic and postpartum unit of a large university hospital.

Participants: A convenience sample of five expectant fathers and five new fathers who smoked was used.

Method: Qualitative thematic analysis was used to analyze the transcripts of audio-recorded interviews.

Results: Despite their reluctance to quit smoking, all the participants made changes in their smoking behaviors during pregnancy or postpartum to protect their partners and infants from the odor and/or potential harm of secondhand and thirdhand smoke. Our findings reveal that pregnancy and childbirth may be a time when men experience additional and unique stress that influences continued smoking but may also give rise to unique motives for future smoking reduction and cessation among men previously resistant to quitting. Furthermore, expectant or new fathers may be more drawn to smoking cessation interventions that foster their own personal strategies to reduce or quit smoking and that respect their needs for self-reliance and control.

Conclusion: The perinatal period may be an opportune time for a motivationally based proactive smoking cessation intervention among male smokers.