One of the goals of the Dutch government’s National Prevention Agreement is to ensure that all women refrain from smoking during pregnancy by 2040. The maternity care system plays an important role in motivating and supporting pregnant women to quit smoking.
The Smoke-Free Taskforce is a nationwide collaboration of healthcare professionals and professional associations in birth and youth healthcare in the Netherlands. Their goal is to encourage smoking cessation before, during, and after pregnancy. They do this by promoting multidisciplinary smoking cessation care, putting smoking cessation advice on the agenda of professionals and the wider public, and enhancing the knowledge of healthcare professionals and the general population on the importance of smoking cessation to improve children’s health and wellbeing.
This infosheet describes the start of the Smoke-Free Start Taskforce, the most important activities and focal points for the coming years. The infosheet provides an overview of the efforts that Smoke-Free Start has made to support healthcare providers in advising pregnant women (and partners) on quitting smoking. In addition, it highlights the power of collaboration among various parties on the road toward a smoke-free society.
