Smoking Cessation Education and Support for Pregnant Women

Problem Statement: What is the problem that this project will try to address? Why do we care about the problem? What gaps will the project fill? ____The problem we are trying to address is the use of nicotine by pregnant women, and it’s adverse effects on neonatal outcomes. We know that smoking results in low birth weights, premature delivery, increased risk of sudden infant death syndrome, increased risk of asthma and other respiratory complications in the newborn (Wagijo, Sheikh, Duijts, and Been, 2015). Prematurity and its complications has been determined to be the leading cause of death for children world wide under the age of 5 (Wagijo, Sheikh, Duijts, and Been, 2015). These complications result in respiratory issues such as chronic lung disease, sepsis, necrotizing enterocolitis, intraventricular hemorrhage, and retinopathy of prematurity (Wagijo, Sheikh, Duijts, and Been, 2015). This results in a financial burden on our healthcare systems and a decrease in the quality of life for our children who affected. This project will fill gaps in available programs for pregnant women who are often more motivated to change their health practices during pregnancy than at any other time. It provides a daily plan for smoking cessation, and encourages women to identify support persons available to help them remain smoke free. Methods: What activities will you undertake to achieve results? _Our first activity will be to spend one month monitoring how well we are currently meeting the needs of pregnant women who are smokers in our care and who desire to stop smoking. Then we will orient healthcare providers in our OB/GYN clinics, Centering facilitators, HANDS workers, Young Parents Program providers, and Chrysalis House workers in the use of SCRIPT for smoking cessation in pregnant women. This will also include use of the 5 As. Carbon monoxide monitoring and pre and post surveys will be used to determine effectiveness of the intervention. Women will be encouraged to set a quit date. They will also watch the 8 minute SCRIPT video, and choose a support person to encourage them. Incentives will be given based on success. If smoking cessation is maintained for the remainder of the pregnancy, based on self report and CO monitor results, women will receive a car seat. If women are able to cut their nicotine consumption in half by the end of the pregnancy, they will receive a Walmart gift card for $25. Family members who smoke and are interested in cessation will be referred to Angela Brumley-Shelton at the Lexington Fayette County Health Department and the KY Quit line. Pregnant women will also be referred to the KY Quit line for support. Expected Results: What changes do you expect to occur as a result of the activities described above?_We hope that at least 20% of patients who participate in this study will be able to stop smoking or at least cut their nicotine intake by half. Conclusions/implications: What are the larger implications of your findings? What impact will this project have on the problem identified above? The larger implications of our findings will be whether SCRIPT is a workable sustainable method for smoking cessation that can be adopted into obstetrical practice for our patient population. Smoking is a known factor in preterm birth and success in this endeavor will directly decrease preterm birth rates and the complications that accompany preterm birth.