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 commences in March 2005 and concludes March 2007.

In its current phase, NAPS – Phase IV, the project continues to implement a wide range of previously successful and heavily evaluated strategies but also indroduces exciting new and innovative strategies.

The NAPS Project uses the logo ‘Care for my air!’ to help promote the project’s health message – exposure to tobacco smoke whilst pregnant (or as an infant) can increase the risk of asthma, SIDS, unhealthy birth weight and other complications.

Phase IV – Project Description

The Newborns Asthma and Parental Smoking Project – Phase IV will capitalise on the excellent results achieved in NAPS Phase III by continuing to implement the project throughout Western Australia.

NAPS Phase IV will continue to incorporate the effective and sustainable strategies highlighted by evaluation results from NAPS Phase III. These well established, proven strategies include:

• Dissemination of ‘Care for my air!’ packs (formally Baby Starter Packs) to all pregnant women who intend to give birth to their child at participating hospitals
• Training for Child Health Nurses, Antenatal Educators and Midwives in the target health service areas to deliver education sessions and/or advice to pregnant women and new mothers related to avoiding tobacco smoke
• Liaising with Princess Margaret Hospital and tertiary institutions to maintain the ‘Care for my air!’ health message and resources in the education and training of nursing students
• Promotion of the ‘Care for my air!’ message to health services and other community networks

As with previous phases, NAPS Phase IV will also trial new strategies that will deliver significantly improved health outcomes for children living in Western Australia. Based on the information from Phase III, Phase IV also aims to focus specifically on Indigenous women. The project will trial strategies for providing culturally appropriate information on the dangers of passive smoking to newborns.

Phase IV also welcomes the introduction of other health agencies partnering on specific strategies, including Quit WA, Department of Health, Fresh Start Program, Cancer Council WA, and the North Metropolitan Public Health Unit - East in collaboration with the Say No to Smokes Project.