Partner organisations
This study is a supplementary study to the MOHMQuit trial, which we are conducting with our the NSW Ministry of Health, the Cancer Council NSW, the Cancer Institute NSW, the Northern NSW LHD, Western NSW LHD, Murrumbidgee LHD, Illawarra Shoalhaven LHD and Nepean Blue Mountains LHD.
Status/timing
Recruitment for this study started in March 2023. Interviews with women started at the end of May 2023 and will continue until December 2024.
What does the Project focus on?
Postpartum smoking is an important public health problem. Smoking increases women’s risk of developing multiple different cancers, heart disease and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Mothers’ smoking also increases their babies’ risks of sudden infant death syndrome and developing asthma and childhood cancers. Vaping has become a global public health problem, and dual use with cigarette smoking is very common in the postpartum period. Aerosols in vapes contain many poisonous compounds that cause damage to lungs and human cells. Exposure to second-hand vape smoke is potentially very dangerous for babies and children. Although international studies have found that nearly half the women who quit smoking in pregnancy relapse within six months of giving birth, there is very limited data on relapse rates for postpartum Australian women. This project will gather Australian data, allowing us to explore if the MOHMQuit program helps women stay quit in their first postpartum year, and gather information on women’s preferences for support in staying free from smoking and/or vaping abstinence.
What type of project/study?
This is a longitudinal cohort study. In longitudinal studies, researchers follow and map changes over time for study participants (in this case women who smoked or were recent quitters in their latest pregnancies). Longitudinal studies are also used for evaluating the outcomes of treatments or interventions over different lengths of time (in this case the MOHMQuit program in helping women quit smoking during pregnancy).
What do we expect to achieve with this project when complete?
Information from this project will help shape health policies regarding smoking and vaping cessation support in the postpartum period. It will also help inform the potential scale up of the MOHMQuit program more broadly.
