New research shows that financial incentives may help some women quit smoking during pregnancy.

Of the women who enrolled into the scheme, 143 received at least one voucher, suggesting that they had attempted to quit. One in five of the women (48 women) had managed to quit by the time of delivery. 25 women (4% of the entire cohort) were still not smoking six months after the birth of their child. This compared to the previous year, when only a very small number of women (less than 1%) were recorded as having stopped smoking. In all cases, women from areas of highest deprivation were the least likely to succeed in quitting. Urinary or salivary tests suggested that ten women (4%) had smoked cigarettes whilst claiming vouchers.

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