Smoking rates among mums-to-be are at an all-time low thanks to
support from NHS teams.
This year also saw the biggest annual fall in smoking during
pregnancy since records began, meaning 6,000 fewer pregnant women
smoked when compared to the previous 12 months, protecting
thousands of babies from potential harm.
NHS England is working to ensure all maternity services can offer
pregnant woman who smoke specialist support to quit - with
focused treatment including nicotine replacement therapy. More
than 90% of inpatient and maternity services are now delivering
smoking cessation services for patients.
The most recent Statistics on Women's Smoking
Status at Time of Delivery shows that 7.4% of women in
England were known to be smokers at the end of their pregnancy in
2023-24 – down on last year, when the rate was 8.8%.
Smoking whilst pregnant is extremely dangerous as inhaling carbon
monoxide, a harmful chemical present in cigarette smoke, reduces
the amount of oxygen getting to the baby in the womb and
increases the chance of miscarriage, stillbirth and sudden infant
death.
Pregnant smokers are being urged to access dedicated NHS support
to help them quit – including nicotine replacement therapy and
electronic checks to test their exposure to carbon monoxide.
Kate Brintworth, Chief Midwifery Officer for NHS England,
said: “It is extremely encouraging to see that the
number of pregnant women smoking has reached the lowest level
ever, in part thanks to our brilliant teams of midwives and the
specialist support we provide to expectant mums through our
maternity services.
“We want to help even more pregnant women to kick the habit and
will continue to provide dedicated support to anyone accessing
our maternity services – so if you are considering having a baby
or recently pregnant and looking for support to quit, please do
speak to your maternity team, they are here to help.”
Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust have also been focusing on
reducing the number of pregnant women smoking at the time of
giving birth by providing immediate access to a tobacco
dependency advisor from the beginning of pregnancy.
This is helping to improve engagement and uptake of smoking
cessation services for those communities most likely to smoke,
with latest data showing just 4.7% of women in their area are now
smoking at time of giving birth.
The NHS supports the government's ambition for a smoke-free UK,
with a focus on stopping people from starting to smoke.
NHS England's latest Statistics on Public
Health report, published today, shows there were 412,536
prescription items dispensed to help smokers give up the habit, a
decrease of 42% from 2019/20 (709,968) and 69% lower than 2014/15
(1,348,162).
Smoking rates are continuing to fall – the most
recent Health Survey for
England found 13% of adults said they smoked cigarettes
in 2022, compared to 27% in 1993.
Adults living in the most deprived areas were more likely to
smoke than those living in the least deprived areas. About one in
five adults living in deprived areas smoked (21%), compared to
just under one in 10 of those in the least deprived areas (9%).
Separate recent data showed that in
2023-24, 104,125 people successfully quit using Stop Smoking
Services in England.
Information on NHS services to help people to stop smoking is
available on the NHS.uk website.
