• Conor Gilligan, Robert W Sanson-Fisher, Catherine D'Este, Sandra Eades, and Mark Wenitong.
• School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Newcastle, Newcastle, NSW, Australia. Conor.Gilligan@newcastle.edu.au
• Med. J. Aust. 2009 May 18;190(10):557-61.

ObjectiveTo identify factors associated with antenatal smoking and explore characteristics of smoking behaviour among pregnant Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women.Design And SettingCross-sectional study using interviewer-administered questionnaires of 145 pregnant Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women attending a health service in Far North Queensland between November 2005 and December 2006.Main Outcome MeasuresPrevalence of self-reported smoking; predictors and patterns of smoking in early pregnancy; and relationships between smoking and the prevalence of predisposing, enabling and reinforcing factors, including women's knowledge about and attitudes towards smoking and the risks involved.ResultsOf 145 women, 41% (n = 60) reported being daily or occasional smokers. Knowledge about harms of smoking was generally high. Women who were smokers had a significantly higher rate of smoking partners (n = 36) than women who were non-smokers (n = 31) (77% v 41%, P < 0.001). Level of daily stress was significantly higher among smokers than non-smokers (P = 0.001).ConclusionShifted population norms among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders are accompanied by a shift in the factors that can effectively differentiate between smokers and non-smokers within this population. Rather than the traditional, mainstream predictors of antenatal smoking, interventions with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women should focus on the social environment, and the influences of social networks and partners on the behaviour of individuals.

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