Health policies and funding for programs in pregnancy

Cadmium and nicotine/tobacco exposure and the maternal fetal environment will be discussed. This discussion will be expanded to include existing health policies regarding smoking and environmental tobacco smoke exposure an maternal and child health. Strategies for population-wide reductions in smoking include individual counseling, public health education and campaigns, and tobacco control policies. Healthy People 2010 objectives include increasing the percentage of cessation in pregnant smokers. Self-reported data on smoking during pregnancy is collected by the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS), a population-based surveillance system in the United States designed to monitor maternal experiences in the perinatal period. The role of public health professionals in these and other programs such as the National Partnership to help Pregnant Smokers Quit, legislative efforts, and advocacy will be examined in this panel presentation.