October 07, 2013
Tui Ora takes on hapu smoker challenge
Taranaki health provider Tui Ora is looking for professional champions to help stop women smoking while they are pregnant.
Emma Dillon, the coordinator of the new Mana Wahine Hapu services, says the high percentage of Maori who smoke while pregnant is a concern.
She’s looking for midwives, practice nurses, GPs or other health professionals who want to act as champions to push the message.
She also needs people to train members of the public to be individual whanau champions who can discuss the issue within their whanau and point people towards the support they need to stay off tobacco.
Peer support groups will be held to help pregnant women and their partners who want to give up.
Mrs Dillon says as well as lowering the chance of miscarriage or stillbirth, babies of smokefree mothers are healthier, far less likely to suffer from things such as asthma, glue ear and sudden unexpected death in infancy.
Copyright © 2013, UMA Broadcasting Ltd