Training obstetric and family practice residents to give smoking cessation advice during prenatal care.

Abstract

Our objective was to determine the effectiveness of training obstetric and family practice residents to provide smoking cessation advice. The effectiveness of the trained residents' advice was assessed from exit interviews of pregnant smokers taking part in a randomized, controlled trial of smoking cessation advice. Exit interview responses were compared by chi 2 analysis. Training resulted in significant changes in the advice provided by the residents, with greater emphasis on gaining a commitment to smoking behavior change, but not in the average time providing the advice, approximately 3 minutes. Adherence to the protocol was maintained at 80%. Significantly more women who received the brief structured advice agreed to stop smoking (54%) or cut down their cigarette consumption (28%) compared with women in the control group (14% and 6%, respectively), p = 0.0001. The structured advice consistently provided by the trained residents was effective in gaining commitments from pregnant smokers to change their smoking behavior.