Loma Linda University Health Launches Smoke-Free HOPE InitiativeLoma Linda University Health Launches Smoke-Free HOPE Initiative Loma Linda University Health has introduced Smoke-Free HOPE, a comprehensive program aimed at assisting pregnant women in San Bernardino County quit smoking. This initiative was developed in light of recent research conducted by Loma Linda University that highlights the detrimental effects of smoking during pregnancy. Interested individuals can register for Smoke-Free HOPE through smokefreehope.org or by calling 909-558-8190. The program involves home and telehealth visits by community health workers who provide support and guidance to participants as they work towards quitting smoking and establishing smoke-free homes. With a duration of eight weeks, Smoke-Free HOPE aims to enhance the likelihood of participants achieving lasting results. Building upon the success of the Comprehensive Tobacco Treatment Program, which ran from 2012 to 2019, Smoke-Free HOPE addresses a key limitation of the previous program by focusing on the home environment. Previous research revealed lower quit rates among certain demographic groups in rural areas, suggesting that household conditions played a significant role in smoking cessation efforts. Dr. Pramil Singh, director of the Transdisciplinary Tobacco Research Program at Loma Linda University Cancer Center, emphasizes the importance of the home environment in smoking cessation: “By working with the smoker and his/her household at the individual level, we believe we can achieve even higher smoking cessation rates among pregnant smokers, which will help make an even greater impact on reducing health disparities in our region.” Despite widespread awareness of the risks associated with smoking, it remains a leading cause of non-accidental deaths. Singh notes that the stigmatization of smoking has led many individuals to conceal their habit, with approximately 70 percent of smokers expressing a desire to quit. The Smoke-Free HOPE program has received a $1 million grant from the Tobacco-Research Disease Research Program, administered by the University of California, Davis. This funding also supports scholarships for students who assist with the program. Lead investigator Anne Berit Petersen, PhD, associate professor at Loma Linda University School of Nursing, highlights the significance of the program: “Smoke-Free HOPE addresses a critical gap in services for mothers who want to quit smoking in the Inland Empire. Findings from this pilot feasibility study could potentially provide a replicable model for other communities.” Enrollment in Smoke-Free HOPE is currently open to pregnant smokers receiving prenatal care at Loma Linda University Health. The program will be expanded later this year to include Riverside University Health System and Oakwood University in Alabama. For more information or to participate, visit smokefreehope.org or call 909-558-8190.
Loma Linda University Health is launching the Smoke-Free HOPE Initiative, a smoking cessation program for pregnant women in San Bernardino County. The program was developed in response to recent research on pregnant smokers published by Loma Linda University.
Interested parties can register at smokefreehope.org or call 909-558-8190 and request information about the Smoke-Free HOPE program.
This new program will rely heavily on community health workers making home and telehealth visits with the goal of helping participants quit smoking and also working to create smoke-free homes for those women. The program will last eight weeks.
The designers of Smoke-Free HOPE expect that the number of people who quit smoking will be even higher than with previous programs.
Loma Linda University Health designed and operated the Comprehensive Tobacco Treatment Program from 2012 to 2019, which leaders said was successful. The state-funded program included an hour-long class or one-on-one sessions in various community settings each week for six or eight weeks. But while that program achieved a 40% long-term quit rate for participants, one drawback was the classroom’s central location in Loma Linda, far from many participants’ homes in the high desert or other rural areas.
Researchers also found that quit rates were significantly lower among black, Native American, and white women in rural areas. Researchers thought this was because the home environment was not conducive to quitting. They published their findings in Journal of Maternal and Child Health until 2023.
Since then, smoking cessation advocates at Loma Linda University Health have been working to build on their previous approach by developing Smoke-Free HOPE, a practice they believe will lead to even better smoking cessation outcomes.
“By working with the smoker and his/her household at the individual level, we believe we can achieve even higher smoking cessation rates among pregnant smokers, which will help make an even greater impact on reducing health disparities in our region,” said Pramil Singh, DrPH, director of the Transdisciplinary Tobacco Research Program at Loma Linda University Cancer Center and professor at Loma Linda University School of Medicine.
Although many people know about the dangers of smoking, Singh said it is still a leading cause of non-accidental death. Smoking has become stigmatized, and many smokers now smoke in secret. About 70 percent of smokers want to quit, Singh said.
Smoke-free HOPE was founded with a $1 million grant from the Tobacco-Research Disease Research Program, which is administered by the University of California, Davis Research Grants Program Office. The grant also includes funds to offer scholarships to several students to assist with the program.
Lead investigator and associate professor at Loma Linda University School of Nursing Anne Berit Petersen, PhD, says the Smoke-Free HOPE program addresses a critical gap in services for mothers who want to quit smoking in the Inland Empire. Findings from this pilot feasibility study could potentially provide a replicable model for other communities.
Enrollment in Smoke-Free HOPE is now available for pregnant smokers who complete prenatal care at Loma Linda University Health and will be rolled out later this year at Riverside University Health System and Oakwood University in Alabama. For more information about enrolling or referring a patient to Smoke-Free HOPE, visit smokefreehope.org or call 909-558-8190.
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