Exploring pregnant women’s and midwive’s perceptions of services and financial incentives for smoking cessation in the south west of England

Authors:
Eileen Sutton, Elaine Watson and Linda Bauld

Presenters:
Elaine Watson
Service Manager, Gloucestershire NHS Stop Smoking Service, UK

Linda Bauld
Professor of Social Policy, University of Bath and UK Centre for Tobacco Control Studies

Abstract
This presentation will explore preliminary findings from a study examining the experiences of pregnant women who smoke and who have agreed to be referred to local NHS Stop Smoking Services to help them to quit smoking. The study is examining the facilitators and barriers to a successful quit attempt and the various components of service provision which help pregnant women to quit smoking. The research is being carried out in three areas in the South West of England comparing the elements of provision and the experiences of women receiving NHS Stop Smoking support in each of these areas. One of the research sites is piloting a scheme which provides vouchers for CO validated (carbon monoxide test) abstinence as an incentive to encourage quitting, and this scheme will be compared with NHS Stop Smoking support for pregnant smokers in two other research sites. Qualitative in-depth interviews are being conducted with pregnant women, midwives and specialist stop smoking advisers. It is hoped that this study will provide useful qualitative data that will enhance ongoing service monitoring and inform future service provision for pregnant women.

Source of funding: Smokefree South West

Declaration of interest: none

About the presenters
Elaine Watson is manager of the local stop smoking service at NHS Gloucestershire. She is currently undertaking her dissertation to complete her MSc in public health.

Linda Bauld is Professor of Social Policy at the University of Bath.
Her research involves the evaluation of complex interventions to improve health, most notably smoking cessation and tobacco control interventions. She conducted the first study of NHS stop smoking services when they were established in 1999 and since then her research, evidence reviews and policy work have continued to inform their development. Linda is a member of a number of public health advisory and funding committees in England and Scotland and since 1998 has served as the Department of Health’s scientific adviser on tobacco control.