A targeted approach to reducing maternal smoking.

The Government White Paper, Smoking Kills, published in December 1998, set new and more ambitious targets for reducing maternal smoking. This is despite the fact that consecutive surveys have shown that the prevalence of maternal smoking has not changed since the 1992 targets (White Paper, The Health of the Nation). Based on current literature, including the author's own research on maternal smoking, this article argues that future research and community smoking cessation interventions should: encompass not just pregnant woman but also partners and close family members; pay particular attention to young, socially disadvantaged groups; and develop and evaluate stage-dependent antenatal smoking cessation materials (tailored to the user's level of intention to quit). By adopting these measures, researchers and primary health care professionals may finally reduce infant deaths and the numerous infant and child health problems related to maternal smoking and household tobacco exposure.