Introduction There is a need for innovation in both the enrollment of pregnant smokers in smoking cessation treatment programs and in the type of treatment programs offered. The study tests whether an interactive and intensive text messaging program, Quit4baby, can promote smoking cessation for pregnant women already enrolled in a health text messaging program, Text4baby. Methods Between July 2015 and February 2016, a total of 35,957 recruitment text messages were sent to Text4baby subscribers. Eligible pregnant smokers were enrolled and randomized to receive Text4baby (control) or Text4baby and Quit4baby (intervention; N=497). Participants were surveyed at 1 month, 3 months, and 6 months post-enrollment, and saliva samples were collected at 3 months for biochemical verification of smoking status. Data were collected from 2015 to 2016 and analyzed in 2016. Results Using an Intention-to-Treat analysis, 28.80% of the intervention group and 15.79% of control group reported not smoking in the past 7 days at 1 month (p<0.01), and 35.20% of the intervention group and 22.67% of the control group reported not smoking in the past 7 days at 3 months (p<0.01). Biochemical verification of smoking status at 3 months indicated no significant differences between groups (15.60% in the intervention group and 10.93% in the control group [p=0.13]), although significant differences favoring the intervention were found for older smokers (p<0.05) and for those who enrolled in their second or third trimester of pregnancy (p<0.05). Self-report of late pregnancy 7- and 30-day point prevalence abstinence favored the intervention group (p<0.001, p<0.01). No significant differences were observed at the 6-month follow-up or in the postpartum period. Conclusions Results provide limited support of the efficacy of the Quit4baby text messaging program in the short term and late in pregnancy, but not in the postpartum period.

Tweets about “plandemic” (e.g., #plandemic) – the notion that the COVID-19 pandemic was planned or fraudulent – helped to spread several distinct conspiracy theories related to COVID-19. But the term’s catchy nature attracted attention from anti-vaccine activist filmmakers who ultimately created Plandemic the 26-minute documentary. Plandemic falsely attacks NIAID Director Dr. Anthony Fauci, among others, and an eventual coronavirus vaccine. The film, which has since been widely discredited, appeared to at least temporarily shift Twitter communications to different topics and organizations, fueling the flow of conspiracy theories and misinformation itself with specific public figures to demonize.

Although freely available mobile applications and text-messaging programs exist, with potential for wide reach, the majority provide only informational support. These programs would benefit from additional study of their usefulness.

Background Smoking during pregnancy has adverse health consequences for the mother and fetus. E-cigarettes could aid with smoking cessation but there is limited research on the prevalence and patterns of e-cigarette use, and their association with smoking cessation among pregnant smokers. Methods We conducted a secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial of a text-messaging program for smoking cessation among a U.S. national cohort of pregnant smokers ( n = 428). Outcomes assessed were trajectories of e-cigarettes use from baseline to one-month follow-up, and longitudinal association between e-cigarette use at baseline and smoking cessation at one-month follow-up. Results At baseline, 74 (17.29%) pregnant smokers used e-cigarettes in the past 30 days and 36 (8.41%) used e-cigarettes in the past 7 days. The primary reason stated for using e-cigarettes during pregnancy was for quitting. E-cigarette use between baseline and 1-month was inconsistent. Of 36 dual-users at baseline, 20 (55.56%) stopped using e-cigarettes by the 1-month follow-up and 14 initiated e-cigarette use. There was no evidence of an association between e-cigarette use at baseline and the primary smoking cessation outcome, 7-day point prevalence abstinence [adjusted odds ratio = 0.79, 95% confidence intervals = 0.33–1.92]. Conclusions A secondary analysis of a national sample of pregnant smokers indicates that use of e-cigarettes is inconsistent and is not associated with improved smoking cessation outcomes. There is an urgent need to further examine the risk and benefits of e-cigarette use, especially during pregnancy. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12889-019-7299-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.