Vaping in preventing return to smoking postpartum

In this talk Professor Notley will present evidence of predictors of postpartum relapse using data from a recent RCT recruiting pregnant people who quit smoking for pregnancy and will discuss the impact of misunderstandings, misinformation and misalignment of public health goals. The role of vaping in supporting sustained abstinence will be considered, prioritising the voices, views and experiences of those who used vaping as part of their smoking quit journey. There is evidence of continued misunderstanding of vaping as a harm reduction approach from influential health care professionals, leading to dissemination of misinformation. This suggests a potentially concerning situation where people in the early postpartum may be vulnerable to tobacco smoking relapse due to a perceived need to quit vaping or using other nicotine products, that are portrayed as akin to tobacco smoking. The presentation asks for a focus on clarity in public health goals, that may help address the confusing advice and (mis)information that parents have to negotiate.