Hospitals

Pregnant women might just quit smoking if they got paid for it

It can be a real challenge for some women to quit smoking once they become […]

It can be a real challenge for some women to quit smoking once they become pregnant. But a new study out of Glasgow University in Scotland has found that offering a financial incentive (the equivalent of $607 in gift cards) could actually increase the number of women who quit.

Not only that, paying the small amount of money can end up saving a ton of money – big picture, according to a study published Tuesday in The BMJ.

The Scottish researchers estimate that the healthcare costs for women who smoke during pregnancy costs the United Kingdom anywhere from $8 million to $97 million a year – not to mention the cost of care for the baby, which could range from $18 million to $35 million just in the first year of life.

NPR broke down the results of the study:

A total of 609 women participated in the study. After 12 months, 15 percent of the women who were offered financial incentives were not smoking, compared with 4 percent of the control group.

Of course this payment concept could be considered a bit controversial because people are generally held accountable for tackling their own reckless habits. But Dr. David Tappin, a pediatrician and professor of clinical trials who led the study, found that offering counseling just didn’t work the same way.

With the stress some mothers go through when preparing to have a baby, the financial aspect provided more motivation. “That very small amount of incentive allows them to pull themselves out of their addiction,” Tappin told NPR.

Perhaps some version of this tactic will spread to other areas of the world.

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