Power of Incentives among Pregnant Mothers: The outcomes of an Incentivized Smoking Cession Program

Background: Indiana currently has one of the highest infant mortality rates in the nation. In 2012, Indiana had an infant mortality rate of 7.8 per 1000 births. In Indiana 16.7% of pregnant women smoke and among the Medicaid population, this number is almost doubled 30.1%. In order to address the issue of smoking during pregnancy, the Indiana State Department of Health has been assessing the benefits of utilizing the Baby and Me Tobacco Free program.

Methods: Baby and Me Tobacco Free uses a unique approach, combining cessation support specific to pregnant women, offering practical incentives, targeting low-income women, and monitoring success. In order to assess the benefits of the Baby and Me Tobacco Free program, researchers compared the outcomes to a basic standard of care model.

Results: In 2014, 428 pregnant mothers participated in the Baby and Me Tobacco Free program in Indiana. The smoking rates and birth outcomes were compared to the 3,280 participants in the state-funded prenatal care coordination program. Among participants in the Baby and Me Tobacco Free program, there was a 68% quit rate. Among participants in the standard prenatal care program there was a quit rate of 21%.

Conclusions: Implementing incentive-based smoking cessation programs could help in reducing smoking during pregnancy, which would directly impact the infant mortality rate. If 25% of pregnant smokers on Medicaid quit, estimated savings for U.S. are $10 to $13 million for birth annually.