Objectives: The aim of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of smoking cessation interventions for pregnant women.
Design: The study including meta-analyses of randomized trials and description of the study performed in Poland.
Materials and methods: The anti-smoking counseling for pregnant women was performed in the maternity centers in Lódź. This study consisted of two stages. At the first stage which was performed between 1 December 2000 and 31 December 2001, 149 current smokers and 56 spontaneous quitters were randomized into the smoking cessation intervention and 144 current smokers and 37 spontaneous quitters were included into the control group. The intervention program included four midwife visits during pregnancy and one after delivery. The control units received standard written information about the health risk from maternal smoking to the fetus. The second stage of the study included collection of data on smoking relapse one year postpartum.
Results: The chance of quitting smoking by the women who agree to participate in the program was significantly higher in the intervention group than in the control group (OR=5.8; p<0.001). The chance to maintain smoking abstinence one year after delivery was four times higher in intervention than control group (3.7, p=0.03).
Conclusions: The midwife-assisted smoking cessation intervention preformed in Lodz region seems to be an effective tool to help pregnant smoker make a decision to quit smoking and maintain smoking abstinence after delivery.