Baby coalition calls on government to extend financial incentive scheme to help pregnant smokers quit

A coalition of baby charities has welcomed the findings from a new study,[1] showing that financial incentives are highly effective for helping people quit smoking during pregnancy.

The Government is currently rolling out a national scheme to offer all pregnant women who smoke financial incentives alongside stop smoking support. However, funding for this scheme is set to run out in March 2025, which could undermine the progress made in reducing maternal smoking rates.

The Smoking in Pregnancy Challenge Group is calling on the government to extend the scheme for the duration of this parliament.

The researchers looked at 47 studies, with more than 21,900 participants, that tested different reward schemes to help people who smoke to quit. Thirteen of the studies looked specifically at the provision of incentives during pregnancy.

Women who were pregnant and received rewards were much more likely to stop smoking than those in the control groups – both at the end of the pregnancy and after the birth of the baby. For every 100 pregnant women who received financial incentives, 13 of those were likely to successfully quit smoking at six months or longer, compared to six in 100 who did not receive financial incentives.

Dr Clea Harmer, Chief Executive of Sands and Co-Chair of the Smoking in Pregnancy Challenge Group, said:

“The evidence is clear that financial incentives are highly effective for helping pregnant women quit smoking and stay smokefree. We urge the government to extend the national incentive scheme to ensure women and families get the support they need to have a smokefree pregnancy and a healthy baby.”

Notes to the Editor

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The Smoking in Pregnancy Challenge Group is a coalition of organisations committed to reducing rates of smoking in pregnancy. The Group is a partnership between the Royal College of Midwives, the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, the voluntary sector and academia. The Group is jointly chaired by Dr. Clea Harmer, Chief Executive of Sands, and Professor Linda Bauld of the SPECTRUM Research Consortium and the University of Edinburgh.

[1] Cochrane Review – Can rewards help people quit smoking, and do they work in the long term?