The attitude of maternity staff to, and smoking cessation interventions with, childbearing women in London

Abstract

To explore the self-reported smoking-cessation interventions of maternity staff with pregnant smokers, and their attitudes towards smoking in pregnancy. Postal survey of all 137 maternity staff (clinical grades A-H) at a large acute hospital in London; 78 questionnaires were completed (response rate: 57%). Over two-thirds of respondents (71%) reported not advising any pregnant women to give up smoking within the previous 7 days. However, nearly two-thirds (64%) felt that women should not be left to make up their own minds about whether or not to smoke during pregnancy, and even more (81%) agreed or strongly agreed that many pregnant women would like to give up smoking but need help and advice on how to succeed. Helping a pregnant woman to give up smoking was seen as being one of the most important things a midwife can do by 73% of the respondents. Although the reported attitudes were supportive of the midwife's role in smoking cessation, they did not translate into practice. The level of smoking cessation interventions was low. The findings from this study indicate some deficits in knowledge among maternity staff that training may address. Raising awareness of the local smoking-cessation service, and how to refer women to it, may increase the number of referrals maternity staff make.