Ryli Hockensmith
Ryli Hockensmith is a senior graduating in May of 2022 with a dual BSPH in Epidemiology and Community Health, and a minor in Global Health Promotion. Ryli has worked alongside faculty researching topics such as sexual health, maternal health, human trafficking, and obesity. Ryli hopes to purse an MPH with an Epidemiology concentration. Ryli is an SPH Heart Scholar and the current President of SPH Student Government. She is from Greenville, Indiana.
You Can Do It!: Implementation and Evaluation of a Financial Incentive-based Prenatal Smoking Cessation Program in a Rural Primary Health Care Clinic
Introduction/Objective: A prenatal smoking cessation implementation program was started in Orange County, Indiana in late 2019 to learn more about potential strategies to address high rates of prenatal smoking in the state’s rural areas.
Methods: Pregnant women who reported current cigarette smoking at their first prenatal appointment were invited to enroll in the program. Enrolled participants filled out a questionnaire regarding their smoking habits and personal information, and baseline carbon monoxide (CO) levels of the mother were measured. Fifty-three participants were asked to attend up to twelve prenatal visits, seven well-baby visits after the birth of their child, and an exit visit to conclude participation. At each prenatal and well-baby visit, participants were incentivized with gift cards when their CO measures were lower than their previous visit.
Results: The mean participant age was 27.4 years. Thirty-five participants (66.0%) reported having a partner who smoked. Participants were asked on a scale of 1-7 “How confident are you that you can take steps to not smoke?” The mean response was 5.8. The mean CO level was 13.7 ppm (n=53) at baseline, and 14.1 ppm (n=48) at prenatal visit 1.
Conclusions: We successfully implemented a smoking cessation program in a rural primary care clinic. Additional work is needed to incorporate pregnant women’s close relationships and peer support in interventions to reduce smoking during pregnancy.
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