A coalition of baby charities has welcomed findings from a study which showed that financial incentives are highly effective in 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 the 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 has called 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 were likely to successfully quit smoking at six months or longer, compared to six in 100 who did not receive financial incentives.

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.”

References available on request.

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