Partner-Support and Gestational Duration Among Pregnant Women Who Smoke.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Pregnant women who smoke are at a high risk of preterm birth (PTB) and have low partner-support. In a prospective cohort study, we aimed to examine the role of partner-support in gestational duration and PTB among pregnant women who smoke as well as the interaction with race/ethnicity. METHODS: We analyzed secondary data of 53 participants from the University at Buffalo Pregnancy and Smoking Cessation Study. Partner-support was measured with Turner's support scale where women reported how much they agreed with five statements about how supportive their partner was. Total partner-support was calculated and split into emotional support and accountability. We fit multivariable linear regression models and log-binomial regression models for gestational duration and PTB, respectively. RESULTS: Gestational duration significantly increased with partner-support (0.22 weeks longer per unit increment in partner-support score), emotional support (0.52 weeks), and accountability (0.35 weeks). This association tended to be stronger among Hispanics and women of other races than non-Hispanic Caucasians and African Americans. Women with a bed partner had 1.48 weeks longer gestational duration than women without a bed partner. DISCUSSION: Partner-support may increase gestational duration and reduce PTB risk among pregnant women who smoke, especially among Hispanic women. Sharing a bed with a partner was associated with a longer gestational duration. Our findings may be interpreted with caution due to limitations such as small sample size, recruitment within a single metropolitan area, and partner-support measurement via maternal reports only. A partner-support intervention to increase gestational duration is warranted.

Partner-support might help increase gestational duration and possibly reduce risk of preterm birth, and future research is needed to replicate our findings in larger samples. Pregnant women who smoke are at a high risk for short gestational duration and preterm birth (PTB) and have low partner-support. Previous research did not address the potential racial/ethnic differences in the influence of partner-support on PTB. We found partner-support might increase gestational duration and possibly reduce PTB risk among pregnant women who smoke. The association between partner-support and gestational duration tended to be stronger among Hispanics and women of other races than Non-Hispanic Caucasians and African Americans.