[A smoking cessation program for pregnant women: minimal input intervention].
A prevalence study of smoking during pregnancy showed that 30% of women in the Jerusalem area were smokers at the beginning of pregnancy and that 67% of women who quit smoking during an earlier pregnancy had started again after delivery. An organized series of health promotion activities for smokers was therefore begun in the framework of routine prenatal care at 4 MCH clinics in Jerusalem. This minimal input smoking cessation program was based on 4 elements: motivation, information, behavioral changes and reinforcement. In face-to-face contact the nurses provided relevant information and recommended specific methods for quitting, based on the reported reasons for smoking. The high prevalence among pregnant women of husbands who had ever smoked suggested their involvement in the program and support to change this harmful behavior. A simple recording system was developed to maintain surveillance of smoking habits and to monitor the planned activities. Controlled evaluation procedures based on the measurement of changes of smoking habits and knowledge and attitudes towards smoking during pregnancy, will test whether this program is feasible for spreading the health promotion message to the family as a whole. Preliminary results point to a positive influence of the intervention population.
Gofin
J
J
Dept. of Social Medicine, Hadassah Medical Organization, Jerusalem.
Fox
C
C
D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006293:Health Promotion; D006801:Humans; D007557:Israel; D011247:Pregnancy; D011295:Prenatal Care / Q000379:methods*; D000074606:Smoking Prevention