Supporting Smokefree Pregnancies

• Research type

  Research Study

• Full title

  Smoking in Pregnancy Counselling Project - Supporting Smokefree Pregnancies

• IRAS ID

  197926

• Contact name

  Tim Coleman

• Contact email

  Tim.coleman@nottingham.ac.uk

• Sponsor organisation

  University of Nottingham

• Duration of Study in the UK

  2 years, 1 months, 31 days

• Research summary

  Smoking in pregnancy is a serious public health problem which NHS Stop Smoking Services (SSS) are trying to address.

  Strong research evidence shows that one-to-one behavioural support, delivered by SSS advisors, helps pregnant smokers to stop. Research has found that although the techniques used by SSS advisors to modify smoking behaviour, (behaviour change techniques (BCTs)), can be effective in successfully supporting cessation, the support provided across English services is inconsistent.

  This study aims to identify BCTs that are most acceptable to pregnant smokers and likely to be the most feasible to deliver in assisting pregnant women to stop smoking. This study aims to make cessation support for pregnant smokers more relevant and effective, and to develop new evidence-based BCTs which enable health professionals to be better skilled in helping pregnant smokers to quit.

  This study is funded by NIHR CLAHRC East Midlands, and involves three components:

  1. Two expert group meetings –involving 18-24 smoking cessation specialists accessed through the National Centre for Smoking Cessation Training (NCSCT); prominent smoking cessation authors/researchers; PPI representatives.
  This group will:
  -Help decide which BCTs are most effective with pregnant smokers
  -Collate opinions on barriers and facilitators that pregnant women face when trying to stop smoking
  -Explore views on effective support to help pregnant women stop smoking

  2. Electronic survey to gain consensus amongst experts in smoking cessation - distributed to 50 smoking cessation specialists recruited from English SSS and specialist advisors registered with the NCSCT.
  This survey will run for 4 months.

  3. Two sets of qualitative one-to-one interviews with 40 pregnant smokers. Participants will be identified from antenatal clinics and SSS in the local area. A Facebook page will also be used for recruitment. Participants will be >18 years, and have a history of smoking during pregnancy.
  Interviewing will run for 6 months.

• REC name

  East of Scotland Research Ethics Service REC 1

• REC reference

  16/ES/0125

• Date of REC Opinion

  22 Sep 2016

• REC opinion

  Favourable Opinion