Childcare/education
Sure Start settings
Grants & funding
Inclusion
Smoking & pregnancy
Why focus on smoking cessation?
Smoking is the main cause of preventable illness and premature death in the UK, killing over 120,000 people a year. It is a major cause of cancer, heart disease and chronic obstructive lung disease. It is also the single most significant casual factor for the socio-economic difference in the incidence of cancer and heart disease.
Smoking in pregnancy can cause increased risk of miscarriage, stillbirth and low birth weight. Second-hand smoking is also known to be the cause of Sudden Death Syndrome and childhood respiratory disease. Giving up smoking is the most effective action anyone can take to protect their own health, their child's and if they are pregnant, their baby's health too.
Sure Start target
Smoking cessation has been identified as a key target area within Sure Start: for fully operational programmes, by March 2006-a 6 per centage point reduction in the proportion of mothers who continue to smoke during pregnancy.
