Quit Together: A Smoking Cessation Intervention Using Pregnancy as a Window of Opportunity

Introduction Maternal smoking is one of the most modifiable factors with clear adverse effects for the fetus and the entire family. This study culturally adapted, enhanced, and is currently testing in a randomized controlled trial (RCT) the efficacy of an evidence-based pregnancy and postnatal couple intervention for smoking cessation. Methods Quit Together is an ongoing partnership between US and Romanian research institutions, obstetrics and gynecology clinics in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, and SAMAS, a non-profit organization providing information and support to parents and parents-to-be in Romania. The study builds on the Motivation and Problem Solving (MAPS) approach, a novel strategy successful in preventing smoking relapse postpartum in the US, enhanced by targeting the couples’ smoking behavior and focusing on dyadic efficacy for smoking cessation. The smoking prevention randomized controlled trial intervention begins during pregnancy, includes a postpartum component, and targets pregnant smokers and their partners. The primary outcome is maternal smoking cessation. Results During the intervention formative phase, 15 interviews were conducted with pregnant smokers and ex-smokers and revealed a wide range of partner involvement and support with quitting, ranging from not at all involved to extremely supporting partner. In addition, 155 pregnant smokers (74) and ex-smokers (81) completed a questionnaire detailing their pregnancy history, social support, tobacco smoking, motivation, importance, and confidence related to quitting, emotional health, details about the relationship with the partner, partner smoking status, and partner and couple behaviors related to the pregnancy smoking. The RCT is actively enrolling participants since 2017. Conclusions Quit Together has a large potential for dissemination and adoption into smoking cessation programs that include a quitline. We anticipate strong potential for the future adoption of proactive counseling for couples referred by prenatal health providers, as an extension of the existing quitline in the Romanian universal public health system. Funding Research reported in this publication was supported by the Fogarty International Center and the NIH under Award Number K01 TW009654. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health