To mark World No Tobacco Day, the Juan de Santander Civic Center hosted a conference presenting the progress of the pilot project “Planning Tobacco and Nicotine Use During Pregnancy”, implemented in the Saja and Montaña primary care centers.
This initiative is led by the Directorate-General of Public Health of the Government of Cantabria and the Marqués de Valdecilla Research Institute (IDIVAL), within the framework of the European Joint Action on the Prevention of Non-Communicable Diseases.
The event opened with remarks by Isabel de Frutos, Director-General of Public Health, together with Mónica del Amo, coordinator of the Cantabrian Network of Smoke-Free Health Centers. They provided an overview of tobacco consumption and new forms of use, as well as the various projects and pilot programmes currently underway in Cantabria for prevention and intervention.
During the session, moderated by tobacco-control expert Emma del Castillo, a lecture was delivered by the Dean of the Faculty of Nursing, Carmen Sarabia, addressing the magnitude of tobacco use during pregnancy and its impact on health. She highlighted the need to go beyond simple advice and to prioritise support and motivation as key tools for change.
María Zúñiga, research technician at IDIVAL, presented the first results of the pilot and the materials developed to support professionals in their daily practice.
The conference continued with a roundtable featuring professionals from the Montaña and Saja health centres, Alfredo Bueno and Carmen Arce. They shared their experiences during the implementation of the programme, emphasising both the challenges and the lessons learned, as well as the achievements in supporting pregnant women.
