Loma Linda University Health’s Smoke-Free HOPE Initiative: Helping Pregnant Smokers QuitLoma Linda University Health’s Smoke-Free HOPE Initiative: Helping Pregnant Smokers Quit Loma Linda University Health has launched the Smoke-Free HOPE Initiative, a tailored smoking cessation program designed specifically for pregnant women in San Bernardino County. This initiative was developed in light of recent research conducted by Loma Linda University, which highlighted the detrimental effects of smoking during pregnancy. Key Features of the Program: * Emphasis on Home and Telehealth Visits: Community health workers provide home and telehealth visits to participants, offering personalized support and guidance. * Focus on Smoke-Free Homes: The program aims to create smoke-free environments for participants and their families. * Eight-Week Duration: The structured program lasts for eight weeks, providing comprehensive support throughout the quitting process. Promising Outcomes: The Smoke-Free HOPE Initiative draws on the success of a previous program, the Comprehensive Tobacco Treatment Program, which achieved a 40% long-term quit rate for participants. Researchers believe that by tailoring the program specifically to pregnant smokers and addressing the home environment, even higher quit rates are possible. Addressing Disparities: Previous research indicated lower quit rates among black, Native American, and white women in rural areas. The Smoke-Free HOPE program aims to address these disparities by providing personalized support and addressing the factors that contribute to smoking in these communities. Impact on Health: Despite the known health hazards of smoking, it remains a leading cause of preventable death. By helping pregnant smokers quit, the initiative seeks to reduce health disparities and improve the health outcomes of mothers and their children. Funding and Availability: The Smoke-Free HOPE Initiative is funded by a $1 million grant from the Tobacco-Related Disease Research Program. Enrollment is currently available for pregnant smokers receiving prenatal care at Loma Linda University Health, with plans to expand to other healthcare systems in the future. To learn more or enroll in the Smoke-Free HOPE program, visit smokefreehope.org or call 909-558-8190.
Loma Linda University Health is launching the Smoke-Free HOPE Initiative, a smoking cessation program for pregnant women in San Bernardino County. The program was developed in response to recent research on pregnant smokers published by Loma Linda University.
Interested parties can register at smokefreehope.org or call 909-558-8190 and request information about the Smoke-Free HOPE program.
This new program will rely heavily on community health workers making home and telehealth visits with the goal of helping participants quit smoking and also working to create smoke-free homes for those women. The program will last eight weeks.
The designers of Smoke-Free HOPE expect that the number of people who quit smoking will be even higher than with previous programs.
Loma Linda University Health designed and operated the Comprehensive Tobacco Treatment Program from 2012 to 2019, which leaders said was successful. The state-funded program included an hour-long class or one-on-one sessions in various community settings each week for six or eight weeks. But while that program achieved a 40% long-term quit rate for participants, one drawback was the classroom’s central location in Loma Linda, far from many participants’ homes in the high desert or other rural areas.
Researchers also found that quit rates were significantly lower among black, Native American, and white women in rural areas. Researchers thought this was because the home environment was not conducive to quitting. They published their findings in Journal of Maternal and Child Health until 2023.
Since then, smoking cessation advocates at Loma Linda University Health have been working to build on their previous approach by developing Smoke-Free HOPE, a practice they believe will lead to even better smoking cessation outcomes.
“By working with the smoker and his/her household at the individual level, we believe we can achieve even higher smoking cessation rates among pregnant smokers, which will help make an even greater impact on reducing health disparities in our region,” said Pramil Singh, DrPH, director of the Transdisciplinary Tobacco Research Program at Loma Linda University Cancer Center and professor at Loma Linda University School of Medicine.
Although many people know about the dangers of smoking, Singh said it is still a leading cause of non-accidental death. Smoking has become stigmatized, and many smokers now smoke in secret. About 70 percent of smokers want to quit, Singh said.
Smoke-free HOPE was founded with a $1 million grant from the Tobacco-Research Disease Research Program, which is administered by the University of California, Davis Research Grants Program Office. The grant also includes funds to offer scholarships to several students to assist with the program.
Lead investigator and associate professor at Loma Linda University School of Nursing Anne Berit Petersen, PhD, says the Smoke-Free HOPE program addresses a critical gap in services for mothers who want to quit smoking in the Inland Empire. Findings from this pilot feasibility study could potentially provide a replicable model for other communities.
Enrollment in Smoke-Free HOPE is now available for pregnant smokers who complete prenatal care at Loma Linda University Health and will be rolled out later this year at Riverside University Health System and Oakwood University in Alabama. For more information about enrolling or referring a patient to Smoke-Free HOPE, visit smokefreehope.org or call 909-558-8190.
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