Pregnant women should be paid to quit smoking, study says

Women are more likely to quit smoking while pregnant if they are given financial incentives, a new Scottish trial has shown. Paying pregnant women to quit could save lives and would be cost-effective for the NHS, experts behind the study said. The trial, which involved more than 600 women in Glasgow, found that smokers who were paid up to £400 in shopping vouchers were more than twice as likely to quit. It is the largest study so far to look at the effectiveness of incentives. Smoking while pregnant can do severe harm to both mother and child. It is thought to be a cause of around 5,000 miscarriages a year, as well as more than 100 still births and more than 100 infant deaths. The cost to...