From The Times
October 17, 2008

Rewards for pregnant women who quit smoking

Mothers-to-be are to be offered gift vouchers and beauty treatments to encourage them to give up smoking, the Telford and Wrekin NHS trust in Shropshire announced.

The trust has been cautioned that the move could be seen by some as rewarding bad behaviour.

Expectant mothers who agree to a trial programme will undergo tests such as carbon monoxide monitoring and a breath test that will show whether they have smoked recently.

Samples of urine and saliva may also be taken to prove that their bodies are free of nicotine and other harmful substances found in cigarettes.

Kevin Lewis, director of the Help 2 Quit service in Shropshire, said that the programme would improve live birthrates, result in better health for newborns and cut NHS treatment costs. Dr Lewis said studies had shown that people needed motivation to help them to give up smoking and that simply highlighting the dangers of smoking in pregnancy was not always enough.

In 2007-08, 466 women – 23 per cent of maternities from the trust’s area – smoked up to the birth.