RESEARCH ARTICLE Open Access The

barriers and facilitators to smoking cessation experienced by women’s partners during pregnancy and the post-partum period: a systematic review of qualitative research Kate Flemming1, Hilary Graham1, Dorothy McCaughan1, Kathryn Angus2,3 * and Linda Bauld2,3 Background: Smoking in pregnancy can cause substantial harm and, while many women quit, others continue to smoke throughout pregnancy. The role of partners is an important but relatively under-researched factor in relation to women’s smoking in pregnancy; partner’s smoking status and attitudes to smoking cessation are important influences in a pregnant women’s attempt to quit. Further understanding of how partners perceive the barriers and facilitators to smoking cessation in pregnancy is needed, particularly from qualitative studies where participants describe these issues in their own words. Methods: A synthesis of qualitative research of partners ’ views of smoking in pregnancy and post-partum was conducted using meta-ethnography. Searches were undertaken from 1990 to January 2014 using terms for partner/ household, pregnancy, post-partum, smoking, qualitative in seven electronic databases. The review was reported i