January 16, 2004

MOMS program helps mothers-to-be stay smokefree

With the beginning of a new year, promises are often made to live a healthier and more fulfilling life. To quit smoking is a common New Year's resolution, but for one group of smokers — pregnant women — smoking cessation is a challenge that can't wait for a holiday. For these smokers, quitting is an urgent need because smoking can affect not only the course of the pregnancy but also the health of the baby.

Most expectant mothers know that smoking can harm their unborn children. Some statistics say about one quarter of women who smoke quit on their own soon after they learn of a pregnancy and long before their first prenatal visit. The other three-quarters of women often struggle throughout pregnancy to try to quit. It is for these women that the MGH Tobacco Research and Treatment Center is conducting a research program to test a new approach to the problem.

Called the Mom and Me Smokefree (MOMS) program, it is a four-year study funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Smokefree Families Program. Designed by Elyse Park, PhD, the program is testing whether providing smoking cessation counseling by telephone can help women stop smoking. The counselors initiate telephone calls on a regular basis to a pregnant smoker throughout her pregnancy and for two months after delivery to provide advice and support as she struggles to remain smoke free. The counselors also provide help in managing the common stresses of pregnancy that make quitting difficult. "We know how difficult it is to quit smoking," explains Park. "We designed MOMS to reach out and help."

The study, led by Nancy Rigotti, MD, director of the center, is investigating whether this novel program will increase the proportion of pregnant women who quit during pregnancy and continue being smokefree once the baby is born. The study is recruiting women throughout eastern Massachusetts who receive prenatal care from a number of obstetric practices, including the MGH Vincent Obstetrics and Gynecology Service. The program also is being offered to all pregnant women who are members of Tufts Health Plan.

"We hope this program will give us a new tool to help pregnant women succeed quitting smoking,"says Rigotti. "Quitting during pregnancy not only helps ensure a healthy baby, but it also benefits the mother's own health for life and reduces exposure to second-hand smoke for her entire family."

For more information about the study, call study counselor Kristi Kangas at
(617) 724-0930.