Information for Health Professionals

History of the Newborns Asthma and Parental Smoking (NAPS) Project – Phase I - IV

The NAPS Project initiated in 1998 as an 18 month Healthway funded pilot project conducted by the Asthma Foundation of WA. The pilot was originally implemented in the Swan Health Service area and was designed to trial various strategies for providing ante-natal information to women on the dangers of passive smoking to the foetus and to infant health.

Positive evaluation results led to the continuation of the project in the Swan Health Service area and the expansion of the project to the Armadale, Fremantle and North Metropolitan Health Service areas (Phase II, July 2000 – December 2001). Phase II also involved concurrently conducting a regional pilot project in the Avon Health Service area.

The Newborns Asthma and Parental Smoking Project – Phase III (January 2002 – January 2005) aimed to capitalise on the successful strategies of NAPS I and NAPS II, and extend the pilot project throughout the state of Western Australia. The Asthma Foundation of WA was further successful in securing an additional two years of funding from Healthway.

Phase IV commenced in March 2005 and concluded March 2007. This phase saw the commence of the Indigenous Womens Project. The Indigenous Womens Project has a project reference group and works extensively attending community events to promote the project message "Fresh air grows solid babies". The project is currently funded by the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing.

Summary of current projects

National Smoke Free Pregnancy project
The NAPS Project received funding by the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing to continue health promotion strategies to reduce smoking amongst pregnant women. The funding allowed the project to revisit two previous strategies piloted by the NAPS project. These included a Pregnancy Quitline Referral Project and Smoking Assessment Form. Three hospitals participated in the project ; King Edward Memorial Hospital, Armadale Hospital and Kaleeya Hospital on board. The midwives who work in the antenatal clinic are able to fax refer the pregnant women and their partners to the Quitline. The Quitline then provids a call back service to the woman or her partner to assist with quitting smoking. Staff within the antenatal clinic have received Brief Intervention Training. This training includes information on how to use the quitline referral form and the smoking assessment form that has been developed and forms part of the health information that the midwives must fill in. The clinic received a resource folder with NAPS resources and information on how to use the smoking assessment form and quit line referral form.

Community Grants
Small grants will be available for community groups and health services to promote the “Fresh air grows solid babies” message. An example of how the grant can be used is by holding a health day where the message is promoted and resources are given away. Other health issues can be promoted at the same time. Examples of how the money can be used are for catering and promotion of the event

Ongoing Education Grants
Grants will be available for health professionals that complete the NAPS Brief Intervention training to continue their education by applying for a continuing education grant that will cover their cost to complete the Cancer Council WA Fresh Start Facilitator training course (costs include the course cost, travel and accommodation).