Smokefree Pregnancy

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Smokefree Pregnancy - Mum's the word

A hard-hitting new TV ad campaign is being broadcast across the region from February to further highlight the dangers of smoking during pregnancy.

Due to North West’s higher than average rates of smoking at delivery, Smokefree North West has commissioned a regional TV ad to run alongside and complement the Department of Health’s new campaign. The national campaign will include radio ads, toolkits for midwives and a new free DVD with support on how to quit during pregnancy.

Pippa Sargent, Smokefree North West’s Head of Marketing, Campaigns and Communications, said: "Both the national campaign and the North West TV ad will highlight the instant effects of smoking on the unborn child, and communicate with both the mum to be, and their partners, since pregnant women are less likely to quit if partners and others in their household are smokers. The TV ad will be emotive and hard hitting – in response to research that this approach was needed for this target audience."

The Department of Health’s toolkit for midwives offers a range of new resources to help support pregnant women to quit. Smokefree North West’s work will build on this and consider best practice from within and outside the region. Smokefree North West's smoking in pregnancy advisory group, an off shout of the regional smoking in pregnancy network, is supporting some of these developments.

The North West campaign will be launched at a Best Practice event in Manchester on February 2. The North West has rates of smoking at delivery higher than the national average which, combined with high teenage pregnancy rates, means that smoking in pregnancy is a key priority for Smokefree North West.

The latest national data from 2005 indicated that 20 per cent of pregnant women in the North West (three per cent above the nation average) smoked throughout their pregnancy. In total, there are almost 110,00 pregnant smokers in England. 29% of routine and manual women smoke throughout pregnancy, compared to 7% of those in managerial and professional occupations. Smoking rates amongst pregnant women are highest in those under the age of 20 (at 45%) and the burden of smoking falls most heavily on the most disadvantaged.

Stopping smoking at any stage during the pregnancy brings proportional health benefits whereas babies born to women who smoke during the pregnancy are most likely to die during the first four weeks of life.