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The research, which has been published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ), looked at whether financial incentives, as part of a treatment plan, helped pregnant women to quit smoking. The team, from the University of Glasgow and University of Stirling, invited 612 pregnant smokers to take part in the study.
The women were randomly assigned to one of two groups. Half were assigned to a group which offered up to £400 of financial incentives if they engaged with "usual care" smoking cessation services and/or quit smoking during their pregnancy. The other women were offered the usual care smoking cessation services, including a face-to-face appointment with a smoking cessation adviser, four follow-up support calls and free nicotine replacement therapy for 10 weeks.
The findings revealed that women who were offered the shopping vouchers were more likely to quit smoking than those in the control group; 69 women quit from the test group, compared to 26 from the controlled group – 23% and 9% respectively.
The results were confirmed by cotinine, a nicotine breakdown product, in urine or saliva.
After a year, the researchers found that 15% of women offered the financial incentives had stayed off cigarettes, while just 4% of the support group had.
Commenting on the study, lead researchers – Professor David Tappin at the University of Glasgow and Professor Linda Bauld at the University of Stirling – said: "This study provides substantial evidence of a very promising and potentially cost-effective new intervention to add to present health service support. The findings can serve as the basis for future research to include other UK centres and other health care systems."
They added that as it was only a trial study, it aims to "develop a multicentre study to test whether the idea of incentive works in different types of smoking cessation centres around the UK."
However, the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) has described the initiative as "not ideal".
Janet Fyle, RCM professional policy adviser, said: "We have said before that incentivising public health behaviour change through monetary reward is not ideal.
"Can we afford to incentivise behavioural change when the amount of potentially damaging lifestyle choices that people make could be almost limitless?"
She added that a better alternative was providing education about the health consequences of smoking, as well as a ban on tobacco advertising.
(JP/MH)
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Financial Incentives 'Can Help Pregnant Women Stop Smoking'
Pregnant women are more likely to stop smoking if they are offered financial incentives, a new study has claimed.The research, which has been published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ), looked at whether financial incentives, as part of a treatment plan, helped pregnant women to quit smoking. The team, from the University of Glasgow and University of Stirling, invited 612 pregnant smokers to take part in the study.
The women were randomly assigned to one of two groups. Half were assigned to a group which offered up to £400 of financial incentives if they engaged with "usual care" smoking cessation services and/or quit smoking during their pregnancy. The other women were offered the usual care smoking cessation services, including a face-to-face appointment with a smoking cessation adviser, four follow-up support calls and free nicotine replacement therapy for 10 weeks.
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The findings revealed that women who were offered the shopping vouchers were more likely to quit smoking than those in the control group; 69 women quit from the test group, compared to 26 from the controlled group – 23% and 9% respectively.
The results were confirmed by cotinine, a nicotine breakdown product, in urine or saliva.
After a year, the researchers found that 15% of women offered the financial incentives had stayed off cigarettes, while just 4% of the support group had.
Commenting on the study, lead researchers – Professor David Tappin at the University of Glasgow and Professor Linda Bauld at the University of Stirling – said: "This study provides substantial evidence of a very promising and potentially cost-effective new intervention to add to present health service support. The findings can serve as the basis for future research to include other UK centres and other health care systems."
They added that as it was only a trial study, it aims to "develop a multicentre study to test whether the idea of incentive works in different types of smoking cessation centres around the UK."
However, the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) has described the initiative as "not ideal".
Janet Fyle, RCM professional policy adviser, said: "We have said before that incentivising public health behaviour change through monetary reward is not ideal.
"Can we afford to incentivise behavioural change when the amount of potentially damaging lifestyle choices that people make could be almost limitless?"
She added that a better alternative was providing education about the health consequences of smoking, as well as a ban on tobacco advertising.
(JP/MH)
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