MAY/JUNE 2005
Volume 11 - No. 2

SRNT Newsletter

May/June 2005, Volume 11, Number 2

Workshop on Pregnancy and Tobacco in Prague: A Success!

by Jacques Le Houezec

From Left: Dr Marion Adler, Jacquest Le Houzec, Conchita Gomez, Dr Richard Windsor, and Professor Michel Delcroix

A workshop, organized by Jacques Le Houezec and Richard Windsor, entitled Smoking cessation and reduction with NRT during pregnancy: Regulatory barriers and current practice was held in Prague during the 11^th Annual SRNT Meeting / 7^th SRNT Europe conference. More than 100 attendees were in the room, and the workshop attracted many questions from the floor at the end of the presentations.

In France, the prevalence of smoking during pregnancy is still high despite a favorable regulatory environment (i.e., the NRT contraindication for pregnant smokers was removed in 1997) and despite smoking cessation clinical guidelines which mention the possibility of NRT use by pregnant smokers (1998). One possible explanation for this situation is the fear of NRT use during pregnancy, both from physicians and pregnant smokers. This situation brought us to the conclusion that specific guidelines (i.e., for gynecologists, obstetricians and midwives) might be needed.

The French Consensus Conference on Pregnancy and Tobacco was held in Lille on October 7-8, 2004. Five hundred people, coming from 18 countries, participated in this 2-day consensus conference. The conference was organized by Michel Delcroix from APPRI (Perinatality Prevention Research Information Association) together with the French Alliance against tobacco, the European Smoke-Free Hospital and Maternity Networks, the French Cancer league, and many other organizations, including SRNT Europe. This conference was organized and directed in compliance with the methodological rules recommended by ANAES (Agence nationale d'accréditation et d'évaluation en santé; National Agency of Health Accreditation and Assessment). Six questions were selected by the Program Committee. Forty-six experts presented a review on topics selected by the Program Committee, and a literature search group assisted the Jury with another report. The conclusions and recommendations were drafted by the Jury of the conference, in total independence.

During the Prague workshop, Michel Delcroix presented the Recommendations of the jury of the French Consensus Conference on Pregnancy and Tobacco. An English translation of the short version of the recommendations, introduced by a foreword from Ann McNeill and Gay Sutherland, was distributed during the workshop. This translation is available as a PDF file on www.treatobacco.net .

Conchita Gomez, a midwife and smoking cessation specialist, presented the results of a study on the use of CO measurements in the follow-up of pregnant smokers, which was recently published (Gomez C, Berlin I, Marquis P, Delcroix M. Prev Med, 2005; 40 : 10-15). Marion Adler, a smoking cessation specialist, talked about her experience of smoking cessation and smoking reduction during pregnancy, demonstrating that pregnant women can quit smoking if the NRT dose is adequately tailored to their needs. Richard Windsor presented the rationale and design of a ongoing study on behavioral counseling and NRT during pregnancy, which should improve the paucity of data in this field. Finally, Jacques Le Houezec presented an overview of the regulatory barriers concerning the use of NRT during pregnancy, illustrating the regulatory situation in different countries and trying to understand why France, despite a good regulatory environment, has been unable to reduce significantly tobacco smoking during pregnancy.

If you would like more information on the workshop or the French Consensus Conference on Pregnancy & Tobacco, please contact Jacques Le Houezec (Jacques.lehouezec@amzer-glas.com ).