Randomised controlled trial of a postpartum relapse prevention intervention.

Many women quit smoking during pregnancy but postnatal relapse rates are high, averaging 50–80% in the first year after delivery. 2 Previous work suggests that provider based relapse intervention in the context of well-baby visits may lead to a decrease in postnatal relapse rates. However, prior research also suggests that the majority of postnatal providers do not take a systematic approach to obtaining a smoking history from all new mothers, and thus may miss opportunities for cessation and relapse counselling. 4 In the present study we examined whether: (1) a relapse prevention intervention, implemented during the hospital stay during the period soon after delivery and at well-baby visits, would reduce the rate of relapse to smoking six months postpartum; (2) the time of delivery was an opportune moment to obtain a smoking history; (3) the history could be transmitted quickly to the infant’s pediatric provider; and (4) transmission would lead to increased rates of relapse advice.