Action plan to reduce smoking in pregnancy
Download (PDF 878.08 KB)Summary of report content
In partnership with Healthwatch North Somerset, The Care Forum carried out an engagement project in Summer 2018. Women who did not stop smoking during pregnancy were recruited to explore why this was and to inform future interventions. This work was commissioned by Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire Clinical Commissioning Group.
The priority topics for discussion were: the reasons why women continue to smoke during their pregnancy and when they have young children, and whether there is any advice, information or other influences which might increase their willingness to quit smoking; and to review specific points on the smoking cessation pathway and identify how they could be improved.
The report identified that the women who participated smoked during pregnancy because they were not sufficiently persuaded that it was in their interests to stop smoking. Many therefore chose to reduce the quantity of cigarettes they smoked, usually for a short time, following support from a midwife or stop smoking service. Stop smoking support for women after birth was reportedly poor – during this time most participants reported returning to previous levels of smoking. Better engagement with women’s partners or family members, and interventions which are more tailored to the individual needs of the participant may increase their ability to stop smoking over a longer period of time. For the majority of participants, the intervention of the midwife was a positive factor. Feedback about the quality of the stop smoking service support was mixed.
The report made recommendations in three areas: improving coordination, particularly the way in which health visitors and other post-pregnancy support can build on the stop smoking support delivered during pregnancy; providing health visitors with clearer guidelines on discussing smoking with women after their pregnancy has ended; and maximising the influence of supportive family members and/or peers so that women have a wider network of support both during and after pregnancy.