A new study from the Colorado School of Public Health at the Anschutz Medical Campus shows a significant reduction in infant morbidity due to incentive-based smoking cessation interventions. The study, published in Public Health Nursing,examines the results of the interventions provided by the Baby & Me Tobacco Free​ program (BMTF) throughout Colorado.

The BMTF intervention includes counseling (based on motivational interviewing) provided throughout the pregnancy and postpartum period, biomonitoring feedback via carbon-monoxide breath testing and financial incentives in the form of diaper vouchers contingent on cessation-status.

Key findings from the study include:

• BMTF participants had a 24 percent to 28 percent reduction in the risk of preterm birth and a 24 percent to 55 percent reduction in the risk of neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) admissions.
• Cost savings per participant in BMTF compared to the birth certificate population was $6,040.
• Total annual cost savings for Colorado associated with the BMTF intervention was over $4.1 million compared to the birth certificate reference populations.
• Based on an extrapolation estimate: if the BMTF program covered all Colorado Medicaid recipients who smoked in the three months prior to or during pregnancy in Colorado, the state of Colorado would save an estimate between $16.8 and $6 million dollars annually on healthcare costs associated with adverse smoking-related birth outcomes.