History

The Ontario Tobacco Strategy’s goal of eliminating the use of tobacco products by pregnant women by the year 2000 has not been achieved1.

In 2007/2008, 10,000 women (75 per cent of pregnant women who smoke) attempted to quit smoking1. Smoking cessation is often temporary for the pregnant women who do quit2. Given that smoking is a well known health risk for both the woman and the fetus, and that quitting smoking has beneficial health outcomes for both, it is imperative to support pregnant women to be successful as they quit smoking.

In December 2010 and January 2011 (during National Non-Smoking Week), Echo in partnership with Peterborough County-City Health Unit, The NorWest Community Health Centres, Social Planning and Research Council of Hamilton, and North Bay Indian Friendship Centre (NBIFC) held four events with women of childbearing age (who were current smokers or who had recently quit smoking) in order to:

  1. Share and support reflection on best practice guidelines that support smoking cessation among pregnant women; and
  2. Support women’s research-informed perspectives to shape a smoking cessation program model for pregnant and recently pregnant women which is suited to their communities.

After these Echo Conversations, Echo supported Peterborough County-City Health Unit (PCCHU), and NBIFC to host the newly designed programs as demonstration projects.  Echo is also supporting a third demonstration site, the revamping of PREGNETS, an online provincial resource that helps pregnant women quit smoking and provide up-to-date information to health care providers.

The Echo Advance reports provide more detail about the process and outcome of each of these Echo Conversations.

 

 

1 Smoke-Free Ontario – Scientific Advisory Committee. (2010). Evidence to Guide Action: Comprehensive Tobacco Control in Ontario. Toronto: Ontario Agency for Health Protection and Promotion.

2 Greaves, L., Cormier, R., Devries, K., Bottorf, J., Johnson, J., Kirkland, S., & Aboussafy, D. (2003). Expecting to quit: A best practices review of smoking cessation interventions for pregnant women and postpartum girls and women. Vancouver: British Columbia Centre of Excellence for Women’s Health.