Monday, 03 June 2019
Having a supportive partner can make a difference in helping pregnant women give up smoking, according to new study by a team of East Midlands researchers.
NHS figures show that 13 per cent of women in England smoke and around 10.5 per cent carry on smoking when they become pregnant, endangering their baby’s health as well as their own.
The researchers from the University of Nottingham and the NIHR Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care (CLAHRC), East Midlands, explored the best ways of how to support women and help them successfully give up smoking during their pregnancy.
They found that, according to smoking cessation practitioners, partners, who lend their support, can be hugely beneficial. The findings, published in the June edition of the journal Addictive Behaviors Reports also indicate that having a close friend, relative or non-smoking ‘buddy’ to offer encouragement and assistance can also be helpful for women who do not have a partner, or whose partner may be less willing to offer support.
Continued smoking during pregnancy poses substantial health risks to both the mother and baby. For example, the mothers’ risks of having an ectopic pregnancy or a miscarriage are increased, and the babies can become more prone to having growth problems, developing asthma or becoming a smoker later in life.
Buddying up to a non-smoker
Libby added: “We wanted to find out the best ways of how to support women and help them successfully give up smoking during their pregnancy. We did this mainly by collecting the views from health care professionals, throughout England, based on their experiences of offering stop smoking support to pregnant clients.
“We found that good support given by a partner in a quit attempt can be particularly useful, especially if the partner is trying to stop smoking too. For women who do not have a partner, or whose partner may be less willing to offer support, having a close friend, relative or non-smoking ‘buddy’ to offer encouragement and assistance can also be helpful. Overall, although pregnant women can sometimes be reluctant to receive stop smoking support from a healthcare professional, those who do receive this type of support tend to find it really useful and are more likely to successfully stop smoking.”
Robust research has previously shown that one-to-one behavioural support delivered by trained smoking advisors helps pregnant smokers to stop, however response rates are varied. This is why the research team wanted to further explore some of the challenges that pregnant smokers might be facing and how they can be solved.
All the findings from the study are being collected and will be used to form the basis of anti-smoking programmes to be integrated into standard NHS training initiatives.
NIHR CLAHRC East Midlands is a partnership of the NHS, universities, patients and industry which sets out to improve patient outcomes by conducting research of local relevance and international quality.
The full research study is available via the following link: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352853218302013.
Story credits
More information is available from Libbie Fergie, School of Medicine via email Elizabeth.Fergie1@nottingham.ac.uk
Notes to editors:
About the University of Nottingham
Ranked 32 in Europe and 16th in the UK by the QS World University Rankings: Europe 2024, the University of Nottingham is a founding member of the Russell Group of research-intensive universities. Studying at the University of Nottingham is a life-changing experience, and we pride ourselves on unlocking the potential of our students. We have a pioneering spirit, expressed in the vision of our founder Sir Jesse Boot, which has seen us lead the way in establishing campuses in China and Malaysia - part of a globally connected network of education, research and industrial engagement.
Nottingham was crowned Sports University of the Year by The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024 – the third time it has been given the honour since 2018 – and by the Daily Mail University Guide 2024.
The university is among the best universities in the UK for the strength of our research, positioned seventh for research power in the UK according to REF 2021. The birthplace of discoveries such as MRI and ibuprofen, our innovations transform lives and tackle global problems such as sustainable food supplies, ending modern slavery, developing greener transport, and reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
The university is a major employer and industry partner - locally and globally - and our graduates are the second most targeted by the UK's top employers, according to The Graduate Market in 2022 report by High Fliers Research.
We lead the Universities for Nottingham initiative, in partnership with Nottingham Trent University, a pioneering collaboration between the city’s two world-class institutions to improve levels of prosperity, opportunity, sustainability, health and wellbeing for residents in the city and region we are proud to call home.
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