A new Cancer Council Queensland health program will be the first of its kind in Queensland to focus on reducing smoking during pregnancy among Indigenous women.

The program, which was launched on World No Tobacco Day on May 31, 2010, is funded by the Australian Government’s Indigenous Tobacco Control Initiative.

The program, Stop the Smokes for a Healthy Bub, aims to promote the health and wellbeing of mothers and unborn babies and will provide an evidence-based approach to help expectant mothers, and their partners, to quit smoking and stay smoke free during their pregnancy and beyond.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women are three times more likely than non-Indigenous women to smoke during pregnancy, with 52 per cent of Indigenous mothers reporting that they smoked during pregnancy, compared to 16 per cent of non-Indigenous mothers.

Smoking carries many risks for pregnant women, as it is known to cause adverse events in pregnancy and has been associated with SIDS, miscarriage, low birth weight, premature birth, poor lung development and function and pre-natal death.

Stop the Smokes for a Healthy Bub provides specialised skill-based training for health professionals, social workers, and community members, who can then take their learnings and develop initiatives in their communities.

The key planks of the program’s approach are community involvement and self-determination.

The program covers topics such as risks, one-on-one and partner support, program-specific workshop facilitation, strategies for creating smoke free environments, and avenues for ongoing contact and support.

Any health professionals, social workers or community members working with pregnant Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women who would like to take part in this program are encouraged to contact Cancer Council Queensland by calling the Cancer Council Helpline on 13 11 20 or emailing tobaccoenquiry@cancerqld.org.au