Smoking in Pregnancy Challenge Group
View our resources
View Challenge Group resources for health professionals working to reduce smoking in pregnancy
Join our Network
Join the Smokefree Pregnancy Information Network to receive timely information, practical resources, training materials and examples of good practice
Get in touch
Get in touch with us if you have any queries
UPDATE: COVID-19 and smoking in pregnancy
Who we are
The Smoking in Pregnancy Challenge Group is a coalition of organisations committed to reducing rates of smoking in pregnancy. The Group was established in 2012 to produce recommendations on how the smoking in pregnancy ambition contained in the Government’s tobacco strategy can be realised.
The Group is a partnership between the Royal College of Midwives, the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, the voluntary sector and academia. It presented its first report and recommendations in June 2013 and continues to meet annually to review progress.
The Smoking in Pregnancy Challenge Group is jointly chaired by Dr. Clea Harmer, Chief Executive of Sands, and Professor Linda Bauld of UKCTAS and the University of Edinburgh.
The case for action
When a woman smokes during pregnancy or when she is exposed to secondhand smoke, oxygen to the baby is restricted making the babies heart work faster and exposing the baby to harmful toxins. As a result, exposure to smoke in pregnancy is responsible for an increased rate of stillbirths, miscarriages and birth defects. The table below highlights the impact of smoking and exposure to secondhand smoke in pregnancy:
Latest report: Review of the Challenge 2018
The group launched a report on the 4th July 2018 calling for further Government action to tackle smoking in pregnancy. It examines the progress that has been made towards the Government’s target and outlines recommendations for the next steps.The full report can be downloaded here (pdf).
The Lullaby Trust have produced a report detailing the methods behind the statistics in the report. Download here (pdf).
The press release for the report was released on the 3 July 2018. You can read the press release here.
