Mums2Be Smokefree: A voucher incentive scheme for pregnant smokers in Somerset
| Author(s)
Tracey Hellyar
| | Presenter(s) |
Tracey Hellyar Smoking in Pregnancy Coordinator, Solutions4Health (Smokefreelife Somerset), Taunton | Abstract Mums2Be Smokefree is the specialist stop smoking service in Somerset providing dedicated support throughout pregnancy and post-partum. Mums2Be Smokefree was designed as a pilot in one acute trust to provide dedicated, home-based stop smoking support with shopping vouchers as reinforcement . It comprises a multi-agency approach to quitting smoking in pregnancy where all pregnant women are CO-screened at booking and referred by the midwives to the Mums2Be service. Support is offered that fits with the pregnant woman’s life, such as home visits, and a person-centred empathetic approach is adopted, and considered crucial to initial and ongoing engagement.
The pilot demonstrated that this model was highly effective in achieving 4 week quits and maintaining those quits through to birth (62% of those who engaged with the programme, defined as obtaining voucher 1, were quit at birth). Birth weights in those engaging were significantly higher than in those who did not engage. The service is now offered countywide and from April-Sept 2015 Somerset had 184 pregnant women setting quit dates, of which 107 (58%) were quit at 4 weeks, and 91 (85%) CO-verified.
| Presenter biography I have worked for the Stop Smoking Service for 7 years and prior to this worked with the Health Visiting Service and in a Special Care Baby unit. My entire career spanning 25 years has involved, babies, children and families. I have a keen interest in smoking in pregnancy and smokefree homes and cars. I relish the challenge behaviour change brings and the positive outcomes it can have. I manage the Smoking in Pregnancy team for Smokefreelife Somerset and recently our voucher incentive programme has been recognised as best practice within the pregnancy challenge group.
| Source of funding: The County Council
| Declaration of interest: None
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