MAMSS: maternity smoking support in Wales

01 / THE APPROACH

What was tried

MAMSS examined whether pregnant women in Wales were more likely to use stop-smoking support when it was tailored and linked closely to maternity care. Four health boards compared new service arrangements with usual Stop Smoking Wales care.

Different areas used specially trained maternity support workers, specialist midwives or pregnancy cessation advisers. The aim was flexible support suited to women's circumstances, rather than relying on a standard referral alone. Researchers combined routine maternity and cessation records with qualitative work to understand how delivery operated.

The study identified 2,756 pregnant smokers: 978 in intervention sites and 1,778 in comparison sites.

02 / THE FINDINGS

What was learned

Engagement was higher in intervention sites. In the area with the strongest engagement result, 64 of 181 women (35%) set a quit date and attended treatment, compared with two of 227 (1%) receiving usual care.

That 35% is an engagement measure from one health board, not a quit rate for all participants. The public conference abstract reports that the models were acceptable and feasible. The case helps partners understand the value of making a specialist service easier to enter.