| |
Smoking in pregnancy: what midwives do and what women say
Linda Bauld, Reader in Social Policy, University of Bath and UK Centre for Tobacco Control Studies
Abstract
Smoking in pregnancy harms women and children, but around one in five women in the UK continue to smoke while pregnant. Of equal concern is the fact that between 2000 and 2005, although overall recorded rates of smoking in pregnancy have declined, inequalities in smoking between professional women and routine and manual groups have widened. This presentation will draw on results from three studies of smoking in pregnancy conducted in Glasgow, the city with the UK’s highest smoking rates. In particular it will draw on a unique archive of interviews with pregnant women trying to quit and explore their experiences in the context of support and advice provided by midwives trained in motivational interviewing and smoking cessation. The presentation will examine some of the reasons why women continue to smoke while pregnant, barriers to quitting and factors that can contribute to cessation. It will conclude with a look forwards to what else we should be doing to progress policy and practice in reducing smoking in pregnancy.
TOP
About the presenter
Linda Bauld is a Reader in Social Policy at the University of Bath. Her research focuses on the evaluation of public health policies, in particular tobacco control policies. She conducted the first study of NHS stop smoking services when they were established in Health Action Zones in 1999 and since then has continued to explore the effectiveness of these services and other tobacco control interventions through research funded by the Department of Health, NICE, ASH Scotland, Cancer Research UK and others. In addition to her research she teaches social policy to undergraduates and postgraduates and is active in tobacco control networks. She is a member of the UK Centre for Tobacco Control Studies, is vice-chair of Cancer Research UK’s tobacco advisory group and has recently been appointed as the Department of Health’s scientific adviser on tobacco control.
|
|
