Pregnant women in the United Kingdom are set to be offered free vapes by a London Council to help them quit smoking and stop them from spending money on cigarettes.
Lambeth Council has estimated that their "stop smoking" service will save parents 2,000 pounds (approximately Rs 186,617) a year through not having to buy tobacco and also reduce the chance of harm to unborn children, BBC reported. The Council said that using e-cigarettes can help soon-to-be mothers go smoke-free.
"Smoking during pregnancy is the leading risk factor for poor birth outcomes, including stillbirth, miscarriage and pre-term birth," a council spokeswoman said, as per the outlet.
"We are now planning to support the use of e-cigarettes for women who choose that route as their preferred aid for quitting tobacco, since this is less harmful compared to smoking. We recognise that while it is best for pregnant smokers to stop smoking without continuing to use nicotine, if this is difficult, and if they choose to use e-cigarettes it can help them become smoke-free," the spokeswoman added.
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Further, the council said that as per their data, women from low-income households are more likely to smoke and that thousands fall into poverty each year due to the habit.
Lambeth councillor Ben Kind unveiled the scheme, saying that it is aimed at "improving the health of the family and saving money in the process". "It is estimated that over 3,000 households in Lambeth fall under the poverty line due to smoking and many of these households include children," he noted.
A little research has been conducted into the safety of e-cigarettes and e-liquids in pregnancy. However, a King's College study published in September found that "vaping is substantially less harmful than smoking". The National Health Service (NHS) in the UK recommends that mothers use licensed nicotine replacement products like patches and gum to kick the habit.
