Qualitative Study on Perception of Aboriginal Women from Lower Socioeconomic Background in New South Wales about Smoking Cessation during Pregnancy

This research plan aims to identify the perceptions of women from less advantaged socioeconomic backgrounds in New South Wales about prominence of smoking cessation during pregnancy. The study will utilize phenomenological design of qualitative research and thematic analysis would be conducted in order to ascertain key themes from each group of participants.

Running Head: RESEARCH PLAN
Qualitative on perception of aboriginal women from lower socioeconomic background in New
South Wales about prominence of smoking cessation during pregnancy
Student’s Name
Institution
Date

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Introduction
The harmful consequences of smoking during pregnancy have been widely documented.
It is also known that during this period, mothers are more likely to reduce or stop smoking.
Despite the information provided on the consequences of smoking, some women maintain this
habit during pregnancy and this situation is more common among mothers from socio-
economically disadvantaged backgrounds (Jamal et al. 2016). The significance that women give
to smoking during pregnancy, whether they are smokers or not, has, however, been little studied.
Small, Porr, Swab & Murray, (2018) conducted an extensive systematic review of qualitative
evidence and managed to identify some of the possible factors that influence smoking during
pregnancy. However, the study by Small, Porr, Swab & Murray, (2018) focus on general factors.
The findings from such study cannot be applied in policy amendment because they are
descriptive. It is because of this that the current study intends to establish aboriginal women from
lower socioeconomic background in New South Wales about prominence of smoking cessation.
The purpose of this research was to identify the perceptions of women from less advantaged
socioeconomic backgrounds in New South Wales about prominence of smoking cessation.
Objectives
At the origin of the study presented here, I found the conviction that it would important to
complete and verify the knowledge acquired in order to understand how pregnant women in less
advantaged socioeconomic backgrounds from New South Wales differ from women from high
socioeconomic background in their perceptions towards smoking during pregnancy and how they
perceive the messages that are transmitted to them about the use of tobacco. On the other hand,
we considered that, at the time of pregnancy, women are more likely to be interested in the

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information that is transmitted and the content of the messages and to be permeable to them;
Pregnancy is thus a time when they can acquire more knowledge and develop a motivation to
integrate them into their behavior.
Research questions
1. What are the opinions of the aboriginal women from the lower socioeconomical state of
Aboriginal community in New South Wales towards their tendency to smoke during their
pregnancy?
2. What are the perceptions of the aboriginal women from the lower socioeconomical state
of Aboriginal community in New South Wales about factors inhibiting their inability to
stop smoking during their pregnancy?
3. What are the views of the aboriginal women from the lower socioeconomical state of
Aboriginal community in New South Wales concerning their socioeconomic conditions
and stress levels?
Research design
The study with utilize phenomenological design of qualitative research. This means that
lived experience of the less advantaged women from New South Wales would be used to create
themes. The use of a phenomenological design of qualitative approach would be appropriate for
such exploratory research as it allowed the identification of their representations from the
discourse of the first concerned. The women would be interviewed through semi-directed
interviews during which they would be free to express themselves. The context of maternity
supervision would be also addressed through group interviews with caregivers working with

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prenatal clients. Although such an approach has no claim to statistical representativeness, it does
offer key elements for understanding a problem such as smoking during pregnancy.
Study variables
The study will focus on all socioeconomic variables such as the level of income, the level
of education, the relationship status of the participants and also the age. The need to study these
variables is attributable to the fact that most of these variables could be the underlying causes of
stress, which forces pregnant aboriginal mothers from New South Wales to engage in smoking
during pregnancy as a way of alleviating stress (Ingall & Cropley 2010). The social and
economic environment has a recognized influence on the development of representations and
behaviors regarding tobacco and alcohol. This is why the sample would be constructed in such a
way as to allow some exemplarity in this sense (Hauck, Ronchi , Lourey & Lewis 2013). It is
also because of this that the two groups of women would targeted: pregnant aboriginal women
from less advantaged socioeconomic backgrounds in New South Wales and pregnant women of
medium to high socio-economic status. Family Affluence Scale (FAS) would help in
determining the kind of questions to answer. The scale is important because it gives an idea
about the socioeconomic status of the respondent. The variables would also be based on self-
efficacy scale. The scale was developed based on a study by Condiotte & Lichtenstein (1981). It
contain 36 items that captures the social and emotional situations in which people are likely to
smoke.
Study population
The research participants would be selected by taking into account the diversity of their
living environments (Johnston & Thomas 2008). The sample would be constructed in such a way

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as to allow some exemplarity in this sense. Two groups of women would be targeted: pregnant
aboriginal women from less advantaged socioeconomic backgrounds in New South Wales and
pregnant women of medium to high socio-economic status. Health and social services centers
located in the study area would be requested to facilitate the recruitment of the participants
through different services they offer. Aboriginal women from less affluent backgrounds from
New South Wales were recruited through the program specifically designed for them. Women
from better-off backgrounds were contacted through prenatal classes offered in the selected
health and social service centers. Convenience sampling would be used. Eligible women would
be asked for their consent before they are interviewed.
Study instruments and methods to use to collect data
One of the instruments I plan to use is family affluence scale and self-efficacy scale. As
mentioned earlier, Family Affluence Scale (FAS) would help in determining the kind of
questions such as the socioeconomic situation of the participants (Johnston & Thomas 2008).
The scale is important because it gives an idea about the socioeconomic status of the respondent.
The variables would also be based on self-efficacy scale. The scale was developed based on a
study by Lawrance (1989). It contains 36 items that captures the social and emotional situations
in which people are likely to smoke.
Questions would be asked about the environment and pregnancy monitoring to identify
significant people. Other questions would be related to their sources of information. A short
questionnaire would also be administered to collect additional socio-economic data.
Study components
Context

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The study is set in suburb community of New South Wales where aboriginal women from
different socioeconomic backgrounds resides.
Researcher role
The researcher’s role would be to design the appropriate questionnaires based on the
scales selected, administer the interviews based on the questionnaires created and then analyze
the interview responses.
Experience of interest
At the origin of this research, we would rely on the premise, widely quoted in the
scientific literature, that pregnancy is a special time in the adoption of better lifestyle habits,
particularly the abandonment of smoking (Briggs, Lindorff & Ivers 2003). Smoking is one of the
lifestyle habits most often cited as having serious consequences for maternal and fetal health, so
the pressure on pregnant women to quit is particularly strong (Ino 2010). It is now established
that smoking is the main modifiable risk factor for the morbidity and mortality associated with
pregnancy in developed countries (Liu, Rao, Hu, Sun & Mao 2006). Despite this, some
aboriginal women still smoke even when they are pregnant. The study would therefore be based
on the believe that beyond the knowledge conveyed and integrated on the harmful aspects of
smoking during pregnancy, it is much more the social identity and its foundations which will
determine the perception of the risk and hence the smoking behavior. , but also, the dominant
social representation of smoking during pregnancy (Einarson & Riordan 2009). The influence of
the environment, particularly that of the partner and the immediate family, is highly likely to
determine whether a pregnant woman will smoke or not (Wigginton & Lee 2013). This should be
a pathway in the development of messages and programs for pregnant women. This study

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intends to demonstrate the multiple challenges faced by smokers, especially those from
disadvantaged backgrounds (Borland, Babayan, Irfan & Schwartz 2013).
Data analysis
Once the data is obtained, qualitative analysis would be carried out in order to determine
the major themes that can differentiate pregnant women from less privileged setting from the
women from high socioeconomic status in regard to smoking during pregnancy. Thematic
analysis would be conducted in order to ascertain key themes from each group of participants.
The themes would then be compared to ascertain whether different socioeconomic statuses
influence the smoking habits during pregnancy. The results would be presented in such a way as
to highlight the differences and convergences noted in women's discourse according to their
socio-economic background.
Rigour, trustworthiness and study limitation
One of the strengths of the research is that the instruments that would be used have been
tested for validity. This means that if the right questions are used, the chances of getting valid
results would be high. Another strength is that the use of a phenomenological design of
qualitative approach would be appropriate for such exploratory research as it allowed the
identification of their representations from the discourse of the first concerned. Nevertheless, the
study is likely to be limited by bias from the researchers. In addition, the study sample may not
be big enough to allow generalization of the findings.
Ethical considerations

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Strict measures would be put in place to ensure the anonymity of the participants and the
confidentiality of the data collected. The research would begin after the team received a
certificate of ethical approval registered university within the setting.

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References
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