Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women are more than three times more likely to smoke during pregnancy than non-Indigenous women, greatly increasing the risk of poor birth outcomes.
Smoking Clinic Targeting Indigenous Maternal Smokers
Initiative Type
Model of Care
Status
Close
Added
Last updated
Summary
Key dates
Jul 2016
Implementation sites
Darling Downs Hospital and Health Service
Partnerships
Preventive Health Branch, Quitline, Hospital Foundation, Aboriginal Outreach Community Midwives, Aboriginal Medical Centres, Southern Queensland Rural Health
Aim
Reduce maternal indigenous smoking in Darling Downs.
Benefits
- reduces the chances of having premature births, babies with low birth weights and miscarriage.
- decreases the excess risk of many diseases related to second-hand smoke in children, such as respiratory diseases (e.g., asthma) and ear infections.
Background
The Darling Downs Hospital and Health Service identified that there was currently no official strategy for achieving the Closing the Gap (CTG) Targets to reduce Maternal Indigenous Smoking in Darling Downs Hospital and Health Service (DDHHS). Currently it was a segmented approach that included;
- Ante-natal clinic completion of Smoking Cessation Clinical Pathway with possible referral to Quitline or CTG Pharmacist.
- Referral to CTG Pharmacist from a local Aboriginal Medical Centre.
- Referral to CTG Pharmacist from an Aboriginal Outreach Community Midwife services.
With no one responsible for assessing the data and outcomes, and actively providing education to assist promoting cessation, and no one providing intense interventions to indigenous mothers who smoke during pregnancy.