[A smoking cessation program for pregnant women: minimal input intervention]

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Maternal and Child Health
• Behavioral Science

Background:

• High prevalence of smoking during pregnancy (30%) and relapse after delivery (67%) in Jerusalem.
• Need for effective smoking cessation interventions within routine prenatal care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To implement and evaluate a minimal input smoking cessation program for pregnant smokers.
• To assess the feasibility of spreading health promotion messages to the entire family.

Main Methods:

• A 4-component program (motivation, information, behavioral changes, reinforcement) delivered by nurses during prenatal care.
• Involvement of husbands in smoking cessation efforts.
• Development of a surveillance system to monitor smoking habits and program activities.

Main Results:

• Preliminary results indicate a positive influence of the intervention on the target population.
• The program integrated health promotion into routine maternal and child health (MCH) clinics.

Conclusions:

• The smoking cessation program shows promise for reducing smoking in pregnant women and their families.
• Further controlled evaluation is needed to confirm the program's effectiveness and scalability.