Uptake of an sms Cessation Intervention for Pregnant Smokers (MiQuit) in Early Antenatal Care

Abstract

Background: Aim: to estimate the initiation rate among pregnant smokers of a tailored SMS text message smoking cessation intervention (MiQuit) when promoted in antenatal care without health professional endorsement. Methods: Pregnant women (N=1,750) accessing a UK maternity hospital received a single-sheet A5 leaflet describing MiQuit in their maternity notes folder over a 6-month period. Similar materials were left on clinic desks and noticeboards. Activation requests for the SMS system and system interaction were recorded over a 9-month period. Historical hospital smoking rates were used to estimate the number of pregnant smokers exposed to the materials. Findings: 25 activation requests were received, estimated to represent 3.7% (95% CI 2.3-5.2%) of all pregnant smokers accessing care over the 9-month period. Only 11 (44%) sent the sign up request SMS message in the correct format. Among those activating support, there was relatively high interaction with the system. Discussion: A low intensity and low cost promotion of a low cost intervention resulted in an engagement rate which would confer a significant public health benefit if effectiveness was demonstrated