Introduction

1. Results • Why women hesitate to seek help from the NHS SSS (Table 2) • The majority (60%) of pregnant women declined support from the NHS SSS and 3 out of 5 women did not attend the SSS after making an appointment. • What will encourage pregnant women to attend the NHS SSS (Table 3) • Group therapy sessions could reduce the perceived barriers to seeking help. • Financial incentives were suggested by women to attending the NHS SSS. • Shocking anti-smoking advertisement was viewed as having a negative impact by users and counsellors, and discourages women from attending the SSS. Table 1: Smoking Status of Participants Why do pregnant women hesitate to seek help from the NHS Stop Smoking Service?Reeanne Jones1 and Anjum Memon1,21Brighton and Sussex Medical School (r.jones1@uni.bsms.ac.uk), 2Public Health Directorate, Brighton and Hove City Council (a.memon@bsms.ac.uk). Table 2: Reasons why pregnant women hesitate to seek help from the NHS SSS Table 3: Improvements to the NHS SSS Introduction Smoking during pregnancy is associated with infant morbidity and is responsible for 30-40% of infant death/stillbirth. 1 in 8 women smoke throughout pregnancy, and 1 in 4 smoke for part of their pregnancy. The Department of Health has set a target to reduce smoking in pregnancy from 14% (2010) to 11% by 2015, with the support of the NHS Stop Smoking Service (SSS). However, studies suggest that only 5% of pregnant women use the NHS SSS. We conducted a qualitative study to ascertain why pregnant women hesitate to seek help from the NHS SSS, and how the Service can be made more attractive for pregnant women. Methods We conducted semi-structured interviews with 25 pregnant women who were attending the NHS SSS, and with two smoking cessation counsellors in South East England. Data were subjected to thematic analysis. • Conclusions • The large majority of women who continue to smoke in pregnancy are extremely hesitant to seek help. • The reasons why women hesitate to access the SSS should be considered in the design and delivery of public health campaigns/interventions. • There is a need for group therapy sessions to reduce these barriers, financial incentives and an opt-out referral pathway. • A more tailored approach is needed to encourage pregnant women to seek support to stop smoking in pregnancy. • Through promoting self-care and offering support to pregnant women, we can prevent the adverse outcomes of smoking in pregnancy. College of Medicine Annual Conference , 11 June 2013 London