Tasmanian Study Offers Pregnant Women Who Quit Smoking Gift Vouchers

A new study being undertaken in Launceston is hoping to curb the number of women who continue to smoke during pregnancy by providing gift vouchers to those who quit.

The study, undertaken by the University of Tasmania, will provide $50 monthly gift vouchers to expectant mothers who stop smoking during their pregnancy. The volunteer participants will get their voucher after taking a simple test to see if they have smoked in the month prior, with the voucher money coming from a University of Tasmania grant.

For Tasmania, this initiative is particularly relevant. The state has the second highest rate of women smoking during pregnancy in Australia. Around one in six Tasmanian women smoke when they’re pregnant, and when women are under 25 that number is one in three.

Behind The Study

Dr Mai Frandsen, a research fellow at Tasmania’s Cancer Council and the University of Tasmania, said that her ultimate aim was to reduce rates of smoking in pregnancy, but the research premise did raise some difficult questions.

“We all know that we should exercise, we all know that we shouldn’t have too many beers, we all know that sitting in front of the television for too long is bad for us, but information isn’t enough.”

Dr Frandsen said that many pregnant women were already interested in quitting, but there aren’t as many targeted options available to these women.

“The tricky thing about wanting to quit while pregnant is that a lot of the treatments that are available for people who aren’t pregnant and want to quit.”

“Unfortunately even though they’re extra motivated to quit, these women don’t have as many strategies or don’t know that they have as many strategies for actually doing so.”

Dr Frandsen also said that while midwives and GPs in contact with pregnant women work to get across the dangers of smoking, they’re really running against the clock.

Pregnant Smokers Stigma

In discussing whether there was a stigma associated to smoking during pregnancy, Dr Frandsen said she felt there was.

“Even the women who do admit that they smoke during their antenatal appointments with their midwives, there are still quite a number who don’t admit to it,” she said.

Midwife Susan Gee agreed, saying women often feel pressured in public not to be smoking once they’re obviously pregnant.

“I think it’s probably the fact that the baby doesn’t have a choice and perhaps people are advocating for the baby.”

Criticism Of The Study

The study has been criticised by some members of the public over the fact that women are being paid to quit smoking. However, Dr Frandsen believes that’s a “naive” way of looking at what she’s doing.

“Whatever we are doing isn’t working. We still have the second highest rates of smoking in the country and the state and national aim is to get that down,” she said.