Work out helps pregnant quitters
Tuesday September 23rd, 2008
One of the best ways to help pregnant women give up smoking may be to encourage them to take exercise, according to a new study.
Researchers say a pilot study suggests a fitness programme may be successful.
Researchers from St George's Hospital, London, said a quarter of pregnant women gave up nicotine following courses of exercise lasting from six to nine weeks.
The findings are from a pilot study and the researchers say they are now conducting full scale trials of the treatment.
Researcher Michael Ussher says the success rate is similar to the use of nicotine replacement therapy on people who are not pregnant. He said 17 per cent of pregnant women in Britain admit to carrying on smoking.
The research, reported in the journal BMC Public Health, involved some 32 pregnant women who smoked at least one cigarette a day. Only half the women who were invited agreed to take part.
Researchers tried one exercise session a week for six weeks with some women and a second programme of two sessions a week for six weeks - followed by a single session for three weeks.
Dr Ussher said: "These results are very encouraging and we are now conducting a randomised controlled trial with 850 women.
"Regular exercise is ideal for any pregnant women who smoke as it's obviously safe and the benefits are enormous."
Tags: Fitness | Women’s Health & Gynaecology
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