UK: NHS May be Giving Pregnant Women £400 Vouchers to Quit Smoking

Following research indicating that financial incentives would encourage pregnant women to quit smoking, a new NHS guidance, which is open to consultation, proposes giving shopping vouchers worth up to £400.

Diane Caruana

July 23, 2021

Research suggests that for every 1,000 pregnant women offered vouchers, 177 would stop smoking.

Research, says the guidance, suggests that for every 1,000 pregnant women offered vouchers, 177 would stop smoking. “Evidence from the UK showed that schemes in which a maximum of around £400 could be gained in vouchers staggered over time (with reductions for each relapse made) were effective and cost effective.”

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) and Public Health England said evidence shows that offering financial incentives to help pregnant women stop smoking is “both effective and cost effective.”

Their guidance, which is open to consultation, said women should undergo biochemical tests to prove they have stopped smoking before receiving the vouchers. However, they added, if the testing proves too difficult due to any current COVID-19-related restrictions, the vouchers should be given anyway.

The document also highlighted that healthcare staff should give clear and up-to-date information regarding e-cigarettes to anyone interested in using them to quit smoking, whilst mentioning that their long-term health effects are still uncertain.

Stop Smoking Services Staff opinions about vapes

In the UK e-cigarettes remain the most popular smoking cessation aid to date, however, opinions about vaping during pregnancy tend to vary. A recent local study aimed to gauge the general perception of English Stop Smoking Services (SSS) towards vaping in order to quit smoking amongst pregnant women.

Most SSS managers said they support the use of e-cigarettes amongst pregnant women who already vaped prior to the pregnancy. However they added, they would not recommend vaping to those who were still smoking and not using e-cigarettes. A total of 8.3% of the managers said they were likely/very likely to advise using e-cigarettes, while 56.9% of SSS were unlikely/very unlikely to advise using them.

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