Call for an instant quote 0345 90 80 161
Open Mon to Fri 09:00 - 17:30 | Sat 09:00 - 16:00 (GMT)
30 January 2015 09:42
Offering shopping vouchers to pregnant women who smoke may help to encourage them to quit
Offering shopping vouchers to pregnant women who smoke may help to encourage them to quit, research has found.
Scientists at the University of Stirling and Glasgow University carried out a study involving 612 women who were between 16 and 24 weeks pregnant.
The study was aimed at finding out whether financial incentives can help deter pregnant women from smoking.
As well as not smoking and eating healthily, women who are expecting should arrange pregnancy travel insurance if they are planning a holiday.
How the research worked
Participants were divided into two groups, with both being offered the NHS Stop Smoking services and one group being given £400 in shopping vouchers if they gave up the habit while they were pregnant.
Those in the shopping voucher group had to commit to an appointment in person and decide on a date by which they had to quit smoking.
They were initially given £50 and then handed further vouchers worth £50, £100 and £200 if they managed not to take up the habit again for up to 38 weeks after the agreed date.
A nurse tested those who claimed to have stopped smoking before they were rewarded with the vouchers.
At the end of the study, it was found that nearly one in four (23%) women in the voucher group had given up smoking compared with only around one in 11 (9%) in the other group.
The findings of the research have been published in the British Medical Journal.
What the academics say
The authors of the report wrote that smoking in pregnancy is one of the main preventable factors behind ill health and deaths in newborns and new mothers, both in Britain and in other countries around the world.
They added that existing interventions such as the NHS Stop Smoking service are not very effective, and argue for financial incentives to be added as a "promising and potentially cost effective new intervention" to current services.
22 February 2019
Just half an hour of exercise every morning could be as effective as drugs at lowering daily blood pressure, research suggests.
[more...]
21 February 2019
A British man accidentally used the wrong passport to fly from Prague to the UK, leaving his friend stranded in the Czech capital.
19 February 2019
Hundreds of passengers have had their travel plans cancelled following the collapse of airline flybmi.
16 February 2019
Holidaymakers were left fuming after a "lack of clarity" over Brexit led a Romanian airline to cancel flights from Liverpool's John Lennon Airport.
15 February 2019
British Airways celebrated Valentine's Day with a special flight where all members of the cabin crew were couples who work for the airline.
14 February 2019
The "concerning" level of stigma surrounding the human papilloma virus (HPV) could be putting some women off going for vital check-ups, campaigners are warning.
13 February 2019
Older people living with depression should be given better access to community activities and therapy instead of being prescribed antidepressants, researchers have urged.
12 February 2019
The Government has been criticised for failing to act on warnings about the link between processed meats and cancer, by the scientist who co-authored the original advice.
09 February 2019
A grandfather who has battled three types of cancer is cycling from Twickenham to Tokyo in time for the Rugby World Cup - all in aid of charity.
08 February 2019
Lovers of traditional fish and chips are embracing a more health-conscious version of their favourite food, a new study suggests.
07 February 2019
Two thirds of UK adults don't know they're able to lower their risk of developing dementia, new research has shown.
06 February 2019
More than 600 people a day are quitting their jobs to care for relatives, a charity has warned.