The purpose of this study was to identify psychosocial factors related to smoking behavior in three groups of women who were 28 to 36 weeks pregnant: those who did not decrease their smoking by half or more compared to the pre-pregnancy level (smokers), those who decreased their smoking to that degree (decreasers), and those who stopped smoking (quitters). Subjects were 130 women who described themselves as smokers in the year before pregnancy. Predictor variables were health beliefs, self-efficacy, social support, age, education, length of smoking habit, and average daily cigarettes pre-pregnancy.

For the variables of health beliefs, self-efficacy, and social support, discriminant function analysis demonstrated all three groups of women to be differentiated, with 93% of the variance accounted for on the first function. Quitters were differentiated from decreasers and smokers by higher levels of self-efficacy, susceptibility, severity, and benefits, and lower levels of barriers. Decreasers were likewise differentiated from smokers.

When the variables were examined separately, a one-way analysis of variance indicated that quitters differed from decreasers and smokers by higher levels of susceptibility, severity, and benefits. Decreasers similarly differed from smokers. Quitters differed from decreasers and smokers by lower levels of barriers, higher levels of self-efficacy, and lower levels of smoking by the husband/partner. Smokers differed from decreasers and quitters by lower levels of encouragement by others to stop or reduce smoking.

For the variables of age, education, length of smoking habit, and average daily cigarettes pre-pregnancy, discriminant function analysis demonstrated smokers to be differentiated from decreasers on the first function (54% of the variance) by older age and longer length of smoking habit. On the second function (46% of variance), quitters were differentiated from smokers and decreasers by higher education and fewer daily cigarettes pre-pregnancy. When variables were examined separately, a one-way analysis of variance indicated that smokers differed from decreasers by longer length of smoking habit.

Findings from analysis of qualitative data supported results of the quantitative analysis. Recommendations were made for practice and further research.