Program Description

First Breath is a program that helps pregnant women in Wisconsin quit smoking by integrating cessation strategies into existing prenatal care models, including public health services and private healthcare clinic appointments.  Our goals are to:

1. Increase the number of pregnant women who quit smoking
2. Reduce smoking among pregnant women who are not able to quit
3. Improve the health of newborns
4. Decrease the rate of relapse among mothers after they deliver

The Costs

• Smoking during pregnancy is a leading cause of premature birth and low infant birth weight.
• Wisconsin Medicaid records show that up to $135,000 per infant are spent on the first six months of medical costs associated with very low birth weight.
• In total, $10.8 million are spent on births affected by smoking each year in Wisconsin.
• Between $1,142 and $1,358 are saved per pregnancy for each pregnant smoker who quits.
• For every $1 spent providing counseling and services to help pregnant women quit smoking, $6 are saved in health care costs.

The Need

• Wisconsin ranks 18th worst in the nation in rates of smoking during pregnancy.
• 24.5% of women receiving WIC services smoke during pregnancy; 38% of women enrolled in Medicaid HMOs smoke during pregnancy.
• Of the women who report smoking during pregnancy on the birth certificate, 63% are Medicaid recipients.
• Smoking during pregnancy affects 9,503 births each year in Wisconsin. That is a maternal smoking rate of 13.4% (2005) compared to the national average, 10.4%.

Success

The First Breath Program continues to excel in its efforts to help pregnant women in Wisconsin quit smoking.

• Since its 2001 pilot study and inception, 1,009 women have quit smoking through the First Breath program, which has resulted in considerable savings in costs to the health care system, especially Medicaid. First Breath has generated a cost savings of $1,002,663 to the Medicaid program alone (about $1,274 per woman).

• On average, 36% of First Breath participants have quit smoking during pregnancy (compared to 22% of the 2001 pilot study comparison group).
• In 2006, WWHF enrolled 1,472 women into the program, bringing our statewide program total to 4,637 women. Enrolled women remain predominantly of non-Hispanic white race, with a low income and low education level. 
• The self-reported quit rate while pregnant is 37.8% - the highest ever reported.
• The smoking abstinence rate immediately post-delivery of 34.7%, however, remains in the same range as in prior years.
• First Breath has become a national model, sharing strategies at conferences around the country and being featured by the National Partnership to Help Pregnant Smokers Quit.

Look at our Program Results page for more information.