Smoke Free Birmingham

Smoking in Pregnancy

 

The launch of a new smoking in pregnancy pilot took place in Birmingham on 28 May.

The pilot will ensure all pregnant women are screened by trained midwives and asked to give a sample of breath to assess their carbon monoxide levels. Women who are identified as smokers (or who are exposed to CO in some other way, such as second-hand smoke or a faulty gas appliance) will be referred to a specialist service where they can be assessed and offered the most appropriate support from a range of services.

A trailer emblazoned with the campaign’s health message ‘you smoke, baby does too’ branding was positioned on Birmingham’s High Street and, despite poor weather, the launch was a great success with many pregnant women agreeing to be CO monitored and signing up to quit.

Midwives across Birmingham have been provided with equipment and referral packs and have undertaken brief intervention training to equip them to monitor women successfully

The project is a collaboration between Birmingham Health & Wellbeing Partnership, Birmingham PCTs and the Tobacco Control Collaborating Centre.

The TCCC is now looking at marketing this service nationwide and will be contacting smoking in pregnancy advisors over the summer period.
For more information contact the TCCC on 01926 490190 or email:
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National No Smoking Day 2008 - Can You Last a Week?

The Great No Smoking Day Challenge encourages smokers to stay focused initially on a manageable target - the first week. We hope the week-long challenge will help quitters develop the confidence to that they can go on to a smoke-free life.

The challenge this year for smokers was to stay smoke-free for a week and as part of this we asked smokers to keep a diary as a record of how they coped during a week without cigarettes.

The promotional event was developed as a 5-day event to promote National No Smoking Day 2008.  The aim of the event was to draw attention to;

• National No Smoking Day theme ‘Can you last a week?’
   
• the dangers of smoking
   
• the free help available to people who want to rid themselves of the smoking habit
   
• to engage with smokers especially in the target group of routine and manual thinking about quitting during this time

People in the High Street and on Edgbaston Street were approached in the street by stop smoking advisors and were offered on-the-spot tests to show the levels of carbon monoxide in their bodies and also to test their lung life.

Advisors offered referral to a GP or local stop smoking service where needed.
 

 

World No Tobacco Day 2008

Recent studies prove that the more young people are exposed to tobacco advertising, the more likely they are to start smoking. Despite this, only 5% of the world’s population is covered by comprehensive bans on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship. Tobacco companies, meanwhile, continue targeting young people by falsely associating use of tobacco products with qualities such as glamour, energy and sex appeal.

Rationale

The promotional event was developed as a 4-day event to promote World No Tobacco Day 2008.  The aim of the event was to draw attention to;

• World No Tobacco Day campaign “Tobacco Free Youth”
   
• raise awareness on how young people are targeted by the tobacco industry through media and marketing campaigns
   
• the dangers of smoking
   
• to launch the Smoking in Pregnancy campaign
   
• the free help available to people who want to free themselves of addiction
   
• to engage with a maximum number of smokers thinking about quitting
   

Between 27th and 30th May 2008 people in the High Street were approached by team members and were given stickers and a promotional bag containing a selection of information such  as information on secondhand smoke, the truth about nicotine, carbon monoxide poisoning and smoking during pregnancy.

Smokers were offered on-the-spot tests by trained Health Advisors to show the levels of carbon monoxide in their bodies and also to test their lung life.

The Age Progression Software is a high-tech digital imaging device which shows the toll that cigarettes can take on smokers’ looks over the years using specially designed software to take their picture and then progressively ‘ageing’ their features.

Smokers who want to give up discussed their options with professional advisors which help them to make the right choice.  Smokers who chose to go through the services were registered and contacted within the next few days to begin the quitting process with support.