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Article Pregnant Women Being Offered $600 To Quit Smoking

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Expecting mums who smoke cigarettes are being offered a cash incentive and support to help them kick their addiction.

A new University of Adelaide trial is offering eligible pregnant women up to $600 in gift vouchers throughout their pregnancy to see if the financial incentives encourage them to quit.

The trial is focusing on expectant mums in Adelaide’s northern suburbs, who are getting antenatal care at the Lyell McEwin Hospital and Modbury Hospital.

“A high proportion of women who receive antenatal care in Adelaide’s northern suburbs continue to smoke cigarettes and we need to find new ways of helping women quit,” explained principal investigator Associate Professor Lisa Smithers from the University of Adelaide’s Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences.

“Internationally, financial incentives have successfully helped pregnant women to stop smoking and we’re interested to see if the same strategy could work here in South Australia.”

Smoking during pregnancy has been linked to serious complications for mums and babies, including miscarriage and premature labour. Babies born to mums who smoked while pregnant are also twice as likely to have a low birth weight, putting them at higher risk of death, infections, breathing problems and other health issues later in life.

The University says that while nicotine is highly addictive, previous research has show other factors make make it even harder to quit. These include socio-economic status, social circles and levels of tobacco dependence.

Women involved in the trial will need to breathe into a carbon monoxide monitor, which increases in response to smoking tobacco.

“All of the pregnant women involved in the trial will be provided with information about support and quitting methods that can be used safely during pregnancy,” said Associate Professor Smithers.

“Only those who successfully stop smoking will receive the gift vouchers and the amounts will vary depending on when they quit during their pregnancy.”

Participants will have regular testing, and need to complete several short questionnaires with questions about their smoking habits, financial wellbeing as well as their mental health.

Researchers will follow up the mums six months after their babies are born, to check their smoking status and measure their baby’s height, weight and head circumference.

The trial is expected to run for several years, and any women who are in their first half of pregnancy, who smoke and are having their baby at the Lyell McEwin Hospital can express their interest here.

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Comments

  • Anything that supports pregnant women to stop smoking is a plus.

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  • If it gets pregnant women to stop smoking, I don’t see why not offer an incentive.

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  • I was a smoker for 14 years before I got pregnant. The day I got that positive test results I stopped smoking cold turkey. It’s been 13 months since I had my last cigarette. Why? Because my child comes first. It’s all in the mind.

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  • It will be interesting to see the results of this plan. If giving birth to a healthy baby is not sufficient incentive to stop your addiction to smoking, I really cannot see how $600 in gift vouchers would do it.

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  • I hope this works for these pregnant Mum’s. I wonder if others will start to smoke just so they can go in the trial to earn these incentives? I think it’s really a two edged sword so to speak

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  • If they cannot stop to save their child’s life, why should money make them stop? And if it can, what does that say about them?

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  • I hope it works for mum and baby’s sake.
    It’s a great incentive too.

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  • Anything is worth a try.

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  • I’ve never been addicted to smoking so I don’t know what it’s like, but I hope it works for both the baby and mother’s sake.

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  • This would be so wonderful it it was to work. Fingers crossed

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  • Hopefully it’s enough of an incentive

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  • Although I think this is a good initiative, I kinda regret I never had any vices people would pay me to give up.

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  • If having a baby is not enough motivation to quit smoking im not sure $600 of vouchers will. However I do think the counselling and support is a good idea.

    • Counselling and support is a good idea; some people do find it hard to give up addictions.

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  • This is a good health incentive for pregnant women and their babies.

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  • Offering help & support to quit smoking is a good thing. However I think the motive to quit smoking should come from the smoker him/her self, not by offering money.

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  • The psychological hold that cigarettes have over people is far greater than the physical addiction. I hope that the women are offered support in this manner more than the money.

    • Yes, addiction needs to be addressed on different and deeper levels

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  • Anyone who wants to have a baby should stop smoking for the babies sake. Not sure why there is money offered. What are non smoker getting?

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  • I hope this outcome benefits those potential mums to be and it actually works.

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  • This is a good incentive to help those struggling to quit but having a baby should be enough to make to consider stopping.

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  • Having a baby should be enough incentive. I was a smoker and went cold turkey the day I found out was pregnant. I’ve never smoked since and it’s been 24 years.

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