Running head: The study of effects of smoking in pregnant women 1 THE STUDY OF EFFECTS OF SMOKING IN PREGNANT WOMEN 6 Method Introduction Use of tobacco products which includes smoking cigarettes, smokeless tobacco and electronic cigarettes during pregnancy is considered to be the biggest cause of harm to young infants and their mothers. Smoking is considered to be a risk factor associated with adverse outcomes including pregnancy related effects, unhealthy and physical problems, cognitive deficits, behavioral and social problems. Statistics show that up to 13% of the women in the United Kingdom smoke during pregnancy although pregnancy motivates around 49% of the women to stop smoking. Ultimately, intervention and screening for smoking during pregnancy can be imperative in achieving smoking cessation, educating women’s partners and family members on the merits of smoking cessation during pregnancy. This section is an overview of the Methodologies used in my research assignment. The section focuses on the population used, sampling frame and the analyzed data and some of the recommended practices which result from the methodologies in regard to effects of smoking in pregnant women.Research Method and Design Appropriateness Experts acknowledge that it is essential to know the difference between quantitative and qualitative research methods although there are misconceptions between the two. On the contrary both methods serve vastly diversified purposes. Quantitative research methods are used when it comes to quantifying the problem through generation of numerical data which is transformed into useable statistics. This method uses measureable data in formulation of facts and includes surveys, observations and reviews of records. Qualitative research method is used in gaining a clear understanding of underlying opinions, motivations and reasons. This method uses a small selected size sample and helps to develop ideas or hypotheses and gives insights into the problem. Qualitative research methods include focus groups, individual interviews, document reviews and in-depth interviews. This research study was designed to use qualitative approach in the form of in-depth interviews with women in the core group that was targeted. This method was more appropriate for my study because the fundamental goal of the research was to carry out face-to-face in-depth interviews at a well-known location. Due to the interests of including the views of a variety of women, an approach that was flexible to the actual location was adopted including local cafes, in-home, meeting rooms and in multiple special cases by telephone. This allowed the researching process many women in the client group. Population The study population on the effects of smoking in pregnant women involved an inclusion criterion of both white and black women pregnant smokers and pregnant non-smokers between 17 years and 36 years of age specifically in the state of Alabama Unit.