Ob/gyn researchers win RWJ Foundation grant—Many women who smoke manage to quit before or during pregnancy. Unfortunately, most lose their motivation in the wake of childbirth, a time that’s typically fraught with emotional highs and lows. Ninety percent of these moms resume smoking within a year; a large fraction give in to their cravings within just six weeks.
To help new mothers combat nicotine addiction, BWH obstetrician/gynecologists have secured a $759,000 grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Diana Rodriguez-Thompson, MD, MPH, and Ellice Lieberman, MD, DrPH, will see whether an anti-depressant known to help people stop smoking can also prevent relapse in new mothers. In the study, non-breastfeeding moms who have quit within the previous year will take either the drug bupropion or a placebo.
Today’s physicians view smoking as a chronic condition-and the post-childbirth period as a time when mothers may need support in their struggle to kick this habit, says Rodriguez-Thompson. “We thought, ‘Let’s see if we can prevent relapse by anticipating and preventing dips in mood,” she says. The researchers will also explore other factors-concern about weight gain, or smoking by others in the home, for example-that impact a woman’s ability to stay smoke-free.