King's College London

Smoking is the primary cause of preventable illness in adults and is the most important modifiable risk for poor perinatal outcome. Women who smoke during pregnancy are more likely to have babies which are preterm, smaller than other babies or stillborn. They are also more likely to die within the first year of life and develop longer-term health problems. Smoking can also reduce the mother’s life expectancy by 10 years. Women who experience poverty and have less social support are more likely to smoke in pregnancy and are less likely to successfully quit. The project aims to find ways to help women in these situations. Previous research has suggested that online, interactive peer support has been helpful to support other health behaviours, such as breast feeding. Peer support is a form of non-professional support provided by someone who has experiences in common with the person seeking help and has been shown to be successful in helping other groups of smokers remain smoke free. Building on this existing work, the project will conduct a feasibility study to test the effect of online interactive groups for women who smoke in pregnancy to help support them to stop smoking.