Health commission expands quit-smoking service for families of pregnant women
An educational post on the harms of smoking for pregnant women is displayed at a facility offering pre-natal services and registration.
Shanghai's health authority has initiated a smoking intervention service at maternity hospitals, to encourage and help family members of pregnant women to quit smoking.
After a successful trial in the districts of Jinshan, Xuhui, and Changning, the service is being promoted to all 16 districts this year, offering individualized education, guidance, support, and services for any family members who wish to stop smoking, the Shanghai Health Promotion Commission said on Wednesday.
Shanghai was the first city in the nation to launch an anti-smoking law in 2010, since when the rate of people smoking in prohibited places has dropped from 37.5 percent to 12.3 percent, and the adult smoking rate has dropped from 26.9 percent to 19.4 percent.
Although exposure to second-hand smoking has decreased, the situation is still prevalent, risking the health of the public. For pregnant women and children, exposure is more harmful and can cause complications in pregnancy, premature deliveries, miscarriages, and poor fetal growth.
To achieve the goal of further reducing the local smoking rate to less than 18 percent and reducing the harm of second-hand smoking, the city introduced this program encouraging and helping families with pregnant women to quit.
Consultation, education, and service guidance are offered at medial facilities providing pre-natal services.
So far, Shanghai has established 37 quit smoking clinics to offer individualized plans to help people stop smoking. General physicians at neighborhood health centers also offer peer education and organize community-based self-management groups for smokers.
