Exploring predictors of tobacco use during pregnancy in Northern British Columbia: Barriers to conducting tobacco research.

Living in northern remote regions has implications for smoking rates in pregnancy and for participant recruitment and retention in tobacco research. The purpose of this research was to identify predictors of smoking through pregnancy for women in northern remote areas in BC. Structured telephone interviews were conducted with 12 participants recruited from the region. Questions asked at baseline were reproduced from a triage tool developed in earlier research. Additional questions specific to pregnant women examined community characteristics, transportation, initial impact of pregnancy and transience. Principal outcomes were: smoking status, smoking rate and quit attempt. Recruitment and retention issues resulted in low participant numbers. Results were interpreted with caution and research interests redirected. Possible solutions to problematic design issues were discussed in the final evaluation. The design appeared, in theory, to be reasonable however, in reality, it was not compatible with unique environmental and cultural factors impacting data collection in the north. --P. ii.