Smoking Cessation Strategies in Maternal Health

Maternal tobacco use remains a critical public health concern, owing to its association with adverse obstetric and neonatal outcomes such as preterm birth, low birth weight, stillbirth and long-term neurodevelopmental and metabolic disorders in offspring. Smoking cessation strategies in maternal health encompass behavioural interventions, pharmacotherapy and system-level approaches. Behavioural support typically involves structured counselling sessions, brief interventions in antenatal clinics and motivational interviewing to enhance self-efficacy. Pharmacotherapeutic aids, chiefly nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) and, less commonly, bupropion or varenicline, are employed where behavioural methods alone prove insufficient. Digital health tools—text reminders, mobile applications and telehealth consultations—have emerged to augment face-to-face support. Community and peer-support models are increasingly deployed to address social determinants and health inequities, particularly among marginalised populations. Integration of routine tobacco assessment into antenatal care pathways, combined with training for health professionals, underpins effective implementation and sustained abstinence.

Research from Nature Portfolio

No recent Nature Portfolio content available.

Smoking Cessation Strategies in Maternal Health publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in smoking cessation strategies in maternal health across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Preterm birth: Delivery of an infant before 37 completed weeks of gestation, associated with increased neonatal morbidity and mortality.

Dose–response relationship: A quantitative association indicating that changes in exposure intensity (for example, number of cigarettes) correspond to changes in health outcome risk.

Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT): Pharmacological products (patches, gum, inhalers) that deliver controlled nicotine doses to alleviate withdrawal and support smoking cessation.

Brief intervention: A short, structured counselling session—often 5–15 minutes—delivered by a health professional to motivate individuals towards quitting smoking.

References

1. Cigarette Smoking Among Pregnant Women During the Perinatal Period: Prevalence and Health Care Provider Inquiries — Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System, United States, 2021. MMWR Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (2024).
2. Maternal cigarette smoking before and during pregnancy and the risk of preterm birth: A dose–response analysis of 25 million mother–infant pairs. PLOS Medicine (2020).