For Immediate Release:
Aug. 14, 2007
Contact:
Nanci Gonder
Office of Public Information
573-751-6062
Efforts aim to prevent illness and death of mothers and babies
Missouri receives March of Dimes grant to help reduce smoking among younger women
The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services has been awarded a grant from the March of Dimes to provide training for health care providers to help women of child-bearing age – especially those that are pregnant – quit smoking.
The $25,000 grant will help fund training for health care providers at no cost at eight locations, as well as four workshops for physicians. Training sessions will be conducted from July through September.
“Smoking during pregnancy is the single most preventable cause of illness and death among mothers and infants,” said Joan Schlanker, public health consultant nurse with the department’s program for Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drug Prevention and Awareness. “In Missouri, smoking rates among women of reproductive age, including those who are pregnant, are consistently higher than much of the rest of the nation.”
Missouri had the eighth highest smoking prevalence rate among pregnant women in the United States in 2003. According to the state health department, 18.2 percent of pregnant women in Missouri reported smoking during their pregnancy.
The grant from the March of Dimes Greater Missouri State Chapter is one of many awarded by the March of Dimes in pursuit of its mission to prevent birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality.
It is important to invest in successful programs like the one developed by the state health department,” said Joseph Pierle, statewide public affairs chair of the March of Dimes. “Everyday we see the need to help women stop smoking,” said Pierle, who is also chief executive officer of the Missouri Primary Care Association, which operates 110 community-based health centers in Missouri.
Babies born to women who smoke are 1.5 to 3.5 times more likely to have a low birth weight than babies born to nonsmoking mothers, according to the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Low birth weight babies are at risk for serious health problems throughout their lives.
The Missouri Model for Brief Smoking Cessation training is built on the evidence-based 5 A's model (Ask, Advise, Assess, Assist, Arrange) for smoking cessation that was adopted by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists in 2002. The 5 A’s model, a 5- to 15-minute counseling session by trained health care providers, has been proven effective with pregnant women who smoke.
The training program includes: interactive learning using proven strategies; techniques on integrating these strategies into the clinical setting; use of the Missouri Tobacco Quitline for smoking cessation and prevention of relapse; and a comprehensive manual.
More information about registering for the Missouri Model trainings or tobacco and pregnancy in Missouri can be found at www.dhss.mo.gov/ATOD/Resources.