Back to Annual Meeting

Back to Annual Meeting

APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Derek R. Smith, MPH/MSW, Cristina Ugaitafa, MPH, and Naida Pare. Health Policy, Planning, and Promotion, San Mateo County Department of Public Health, 225 W. 37th Ave., 3rd Floor, San Mateo, CA 94403, 650-573-2012, DSmith1@co.sanmateo.ca.us

Exposure to Environmental Tobacco Smoke (ETS) harms children in utero and throughout their development. It is therefore essential to provide health education as well as smoking cessation services to pregnant women and continue these services through the post-partum period. For over 8 years, the Smoke-Free Start for Families (SFSF) program has been addressing the cessation needs of pregnant women who use tobacco. The SFSF program focuses on health education and outreach paired with cessation support services. Participant recruitment has been a central element of the program. Due to the stigma associated with smoking during pregnancy, some women hesitate to seek out help. SFSF has addressed this challenge by utilizing a variety of recruitment strategies, including the development of a television commercial and print materials, newsletters to healthcare providers, community health fair outreach, and chart reviews at clinics that provide prenatal care. Since 1997, over 400 pregnant women have received services through regular telephone contact with experienced cessation specialists. Services are provided to clients following our telephone counseling protocol. The program has recruited a team of devoted smoking cessation counselors whose treatment modality is based on the Transtheoretical Model, which promotes analyzing stage of change and tailoring an appropriate intervention. Counselors provide clients with the tools they need to quit, including skills (alternatives to smoking, relapse planning), support (regular contact with counselors, goal-setting activities), and resources (incentives for reaching goals, educational materials). Smoke-Free Start for Families has evolved through our learning process, adapting to best match the needs of pregnant clients.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, the participant (learner) in this session will be able to

• Identify cessation tools that assist pregnant smokers in their quit attempts.
• List 3 outreach and recruitment methods appropriate for the pregnant smoker population.
• List 3 challenges related to providing tobacco cessation services to the pregnant and postpartum population.

Keywords: Pregnancy, Tobacco

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Not Answered

Handout (.pdf format, 376.7 kb)