Postpartum return to smoking: staging a "suspended" behavior.

Two hundred fifty-six pregnant women who had quit smoking were classified into the precontemplation (PC), contemplation (C), preparation (PA), or action (A) stages of change for postpartum smoking cessation based on a 3-item algorithm assessing personal goals, self-efficacy, and smoking behavior. Logistic regression and event history analyses indicated group differences in return to smoking at 6 weeks and 3, 6, and 12 months postpartum. The percentage of women who returned to postpartum smoking was highest in the precontemplation stage and decreased with each subsequent stage, that is, at 6 weeks 83% of PCs, 64% of Cs, 35% of PAs, and 24% of As had returned to smoking. Results lend support for the stages of change for postpartum smoking abstinence. Stage-based interventions may be developed to assist women in maintaining abstinence postpartum.