Internet Program to Prevent Postpartum Smoking Relapse

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): When women smokers become pregnant, about one third of them stop smoking cigarettes. Pregnancy therefore represents an important window of opportunity for these women to build upon their cessation success toward the goal of remaining smoke-free for life. Unfortunately, the vast majority of these individuals resume smoking within a year postpartum, despite the fact that they have not smoked for an average of seven or more months during pregnancy. As a result, an important public health opportunity is being missed to help these women maintain their nonsmoking status and therefore avoid significant smoking-related risks for both themselves and their offspring. This project will develop and evaluate an interactive, ethnically targeted Internet/CD-ROM program designed to encourage continued nonsmoking among postpartum women. The intervention will be targeted to women's race/ethnicity (Caucasian, African American, Hispanic and multiethnic) and it will focus on personalizing health risks, stress and mood management, weight management, social support, managing smoking urges, and developing a personal plan. Phase I will provide a feasibility test of this approach by targeting one racial/ethnic subprogram and three content modules with women attending a Postpartum Care Center in a large managed care hospital.