Cigarette, E-cigarette, and Dual Use During the Third Trimester of Pregnancy in a National Sample of Heterosexual and Sexual Minority Women

Background And Objectives: Research investigating e-cigarettes/e-products and dual use with cigarettes among pregnant sexual minority individuals in the United States is lacking. This study addresses this gap using a national sample.

Methods: Two waves of national panel data (2015-2018) from the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health study were used. The sample included 1842 women, 237 identified as sexual minorities (n = 17 lesbian, n = 177 bisexual, n = 43 something else), who indicated pregnancy during the past 12 months at Waves 3 or 4. Covariates included race, ethnicity, past-year income, and education. Cigarette, e-cigarette, or dual use was examined during the last trimester.

Results: Sexual minorities had higher adjusted odds of cigarette use during their last trimester of pregnancy relative to heterosexual women (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 1.55, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.08, 2.23). Bisexual women had higher odds of smoking cigarettes during their third trimester compared with heterosexual women (AOR = 1.82, 95% CI = 1.21, 2.72). Lesbian women were more likely to use e-cigarettes/e-products (AOR = 9.15, 95% CI = 2.29, 36.5) and indicate dual use (AOR = 6.00, 95% CI = 1.43, 25.1) during their third trimester of pregnancy compared with heterosexual women.

Conclusion And Scientific Significance: Maternal health among US sexual minority women would benefit from clinicians equipped to provide accurate information and support for Food and Drug Administration-approved smoking cessation, information about e-cigarettes/e-products, and dual use. This study is the first to examine cigarette, e-cigarette, and dual use during the third trimester of pregnancy using a national sample, with specific attention to differences in sexual orientation.