Kicking the habit: A UK study shows how more women are successfully quitting smoking during pregnancy.
A new UK public health report entitled “Using social marketing to increase recruitment of pregnant smokers to smoking cessation service: the success story”. The report shows how more women are quitting smoking as a direct result of the social marketing techiques. The report was written by: R.J Lowry of the Dental School, University of Newcastle upon Tyne; S.Hardy of the Maternity Services, City Hospital Trust in Sunderland; C.Jordan of the Sunderland Teaching Primary Care Trust, Sunderland Smoking Cessation Service; and G.Wayman of the Sunderland Smoking Cessation Service and Sunderland Teaching Primary Care Trust in Sunderland, UK. A copy of the report has been attached to this press release.
(PRWEB) June 23, 2004 -- A social argument that can ethically split the
nation in households up and down the country (UK) is – should women continue to
smoke during pregnancy? The impact of smoking in pregnancy is well documented
and includes miscarriage, perinatal mortality, low birth weight and sudden
infant death syndrome. A figure shows that 30% of women in the UK continue to
smoke during pregnancy. But a recently published study shows that an increased
number of women, who are exposed to powerful social marketing techniques through
‘smoking cessation programmes’, are quitting smoking as a direct result, meaning
healthier mothers and healthier children. (A copy of the report has been
attached to this press release).
Over a decade ago while working for the
regional health authority in the North East of England, Ray Lowry, a consultant
in public health medicine, first investigated the values and techniques of
social marketing in the healthcare sector. After the initial research and
development into social marketing, with guidance from Ray Lowry - Sunderland
Primary Care Trust took on the mantle of the research. Social marketing is the
art and science of promoting planned, targeted social change. The published
study explores what it’s like to be a pregnant smoker in Sunderland, and looks
at the development of a ‘model’ smoking cessation programme in the same area of
the country. The paper identifies how techniques were developed and tailored to
the needs of a pregnant smoker. This particular research programme technique was
exclusively pioneered in the North East of England.
The concerning high
rates of smoking in pregnancy in the North East of England have troubled the NHS
for years, and many attempts of reducing the rates have failed. The study
published this month in ‘Public Health – The Journal of the Royal Institute of
Public Health’, tells of how focus groups were used to provide a valuable
insight into the issues facing smoking pregnant women. By studying the
transcripts of the focus groups, role-play exercises with actors were introduced
to help the NHS staff to understand the intricacies of the subject matter.
Recruitment of pregnant (and non-pregnant) smokers to the new smoking cessation
programme in Sunderland increased 10-fold during the intervention phase,
compared with neighbouring Primary Care Trust areas, who were running similar
programmes. This is conclusive evidence that by using the social marketing
research, it produces impressive results. Quit rates were significantly
increased after the introduction and development of locally dedicated services
for pregnant women. For the best health results for mother and child, women
should consider giving up smoking before the conception of the child.
The priceless research findings were used to enforce an informative
programme using social marketing techniques, these included poster and
redesigned leaflet campaigns. The market research identified a number of
barriers women face in relation to smoking cessation during pregnancy:
unsatisfactory information and lack of enthusiasm or empathy from healthcare
professionals figured highly in the results. This in mind, future information
material needs to focus on solutions for women to give up smoking rather than
just underlining the risks to their unborn child. Such solutions might include
how to deal with cravings after giving up smoking, how to cope with anxieties
about weight gain or how to cope with mood swings. Some women felt they were
picking up ‘mixed messages’, saying they felt health professionals were trying
to ‘nag them to quit’, but didn’t follow through with enthusiasm or
empathy.
The research showed that in addition to
the differences of the women’s lifestyles, there were also differences in
motives for giving up smoking. For example, some women were motivated to give up
for themselves and their baby, and so were more likely to stay off cigarettes
after the birth. But some were motivated purely for the health of the baby and
were more likely to return to smoking soon after the birth. This released the
social pressure they had felt to give up during their pregnancy.
Ray
Lowry, a consultant in public health medicine and a senior lecturer at Newcastle
University – developed the concept and implementation of social marketing in the
NHS and inspired Sunderland to undertake the intervention. Lowry said: “The
research focussed on the women and their struggles. It gave us an important
insight into the specific barriers in the way of women trying to give up
smoking, and our aim was to find out what would encourage them to do so. We were
able to motivate frontline NHS staff using role-players, redesigned leaflets and
set up a user-friendly service to support the women effectively.
"The
modest success of the intervention shows how social marketing can bring about
behaviour change in a hard-to-change population. These techniques are not
fool-proof: it is only the diligent application and hard work by the
participants that the success has been achieved.”
The intention of the
public health research team is to implement the findings in other areas of the
North East and then spread the successful intervention on a national scale. The
study was entitled “Using social marketing to increase recruitment of pregnant
smokers to smoking cessation service: the success story”.
Media
contacts:
Garry Smith
Press Officer
(Strictly Press)
+44(191)
2461614.
e-mail: e-mail protected from spam bots
Ray Lowry Consultant
in Public Health Medicine & Author of the study +44(191) 222 8393
Bleeper: +44 7626 610 895.
Interviews: Ray Lowry is available for
interview please contact Garry Smith of Strictly Press to arrange any dates or
times.
1).A Government White-paper ‘Smoking Kills’ set a target to
reduce the percentage of women who smoke during pregnancy from 23 to 15% by the
year 2010, with a fall to 18% by 2005. In order to achieve this target, the
Department of Health allocated £3 million to develop smoking in pregnancy
services in 2001/02. A further £3 million was allocated in 2002/03 for the
continuation of the smoking in pregnancy initiative.
2).Ray Lowry, has
been a qualified doctor for over twenty years and currently works as a senior
lecturer at Newcastle University and as a public health medicine consultant for
the Gateshead Primary Care Trust.
3).The study “Using social marketing
to increase recruitment of pregnant smokers to smoking cessation service: the
success story” was written by: R.J Lowry of the Dental School, University of
Newcastle upon Tyne; S.Hardy of the Maternity Services, City Hospital Trust in
Sunderland; C.Jordan of the Sunderland Teaching Primary Care Trust, Sunderland
Smoking Cessation Service; and G.Wayman of the Sunderland Smoking Cessation
Service and Sunderland Teaching Primary Care Trust in Sunderland.
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Source : http://www.prweb.com/releases/2004/6/prweb135681.htm