Smokefree Families: Tools for pharmacy teams to support smokers on their quit journey

Kenvue launches Smokefree Families initiative to help reduce the number of smoking households with children in England. It believes pharmacy teams are vital to the success of this initiative 

UK-based consumer health company Kenvue has developed a series of tools and materials to support healthcare professionals – including pharmacy teams – with their conversations with smokers on their quit journey.

This is part of their newly launched Smokefree Families initiative, which aims to help reduce the number of smoking households with children in England.

Kenvue believes that pharmacists and their teams are vital to the success of this initiative, as they play a crucial role in supporting smokers in their quit journey.

“As trusted sources of support and advice to families across the country, we firmly believe that community pharmacy teams are crucial to the success of our Smokefree Families initiative,” Manoj Raghunandanan, Area Managing Director, Northern Europe at Kenvue, told Pharmacy Business.

“To support them, we’ve created a series of tools and materials that can help pharmacists and other healthcare professionals tackle sensitive conversations with new and expectant parents, their partners and support networks, and ultimately motivate them on their quit journey.”

Explaining how pharmacists can assist smokers, he said: “Pharmacists and their teams play a crucial role in supporting smokers in their quit journey, providing advice and support on the tools and methods available to help them quit.”

“For a pregnant woman, their community pharmacy team might be the first touchpoint they have with healthcare professionals before they even seek maternity services – such as when purchasing a pregnancy test or being navigated to maternity services.

“This means pharmacists are well-placed to help create that safe space pregnant women need to discuss smoking cessation honestly, without fear of judgment.”

Parents are keen to quit but lack support   

New data released by the consumer health company shows that while parents who smoke and have at least one child under 18 are keen to quit, they often lack the support needed to do so.

As part of the Smokefree Families initiative, Kenvue commissioned a YouGov survey of 2,000 current and previous smokers living with children in the UK, including 1,800 parents, to examine attitudes toward smoking and identify the motivators and barriers to quitting.

It found that nearly three-quarters (71 per cent) have either attempted to quit or plan to do so within the next three months.

However, 31 per cent of parents who are current or former smokers feel there isn’t enough support to help them quit, and nearly a quarter (22 per cent) don’t know where to go for support.

Eighty per cent of parents cited the opportunity to improve their physical health as a major reason to stop smoking, 75 per cent identified saving money as a key motivator, and 64 per cent were motivated to quit by the desire to enhance their children’s health.

Additionally, Kenvue’s research highlighted the crucial need for increased support for parents trying to quit smoking, as well as the importance of improving awareness about the health risks of secondhand smoke and the benefits of quitting smoking during pregnancy, particularly among younger people.

Fewer than half (49 per cent) of respondents aged 18-24 were aware that quitting smoking can lower the risk of sudden infant death syndrome, compared to 64 per cent of all survey participants.

Babies exposed to secondhand smoke during pregnancy are 45 per cent more likely to die from sudden infant death syndrome. However, only 59 per cent of all respondents and 46 per cent of those aged 18-24 were aware of this heightened risk.

It is estimated that in England, there are 1.8 million households with children that have at least one smoker.

Dr. Zoe Williams promotes Smokefree Families 

Kenvue is working with GP Dr. Zoe Williams to raise awareness of the issue of smoking during pregnancy and around children, and to direct smokers to available support.

Dr. Williams, who has years of expertise and experience in primary care as an NHS GP, is engaged by the company as an independent consultant to support Smokefree Families and act as an ambassador for the initiative.

She said: “I’m pleased to get behind Smokefree Families and the work it is doing to help my fellow healthcare professionals support new parents who smoke and their loved ones.

“This first step isn’t always easy, but there is support available at every stage of the journey, so I urge anyone who wants to quit smoking to speak with a healthcare professional.”

The launch of the initiative comes after the new government announced plans in the King’s Speech to deliver a smoke-free generation. This includes reintroducing the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, which will progressively increase the age at which people can buy cigarettes.

Kenvue has welcomed this commitment, and is calling for the government to implement further measures to reduce the number of babies born into smoking households and help more households become smokefree.

Raghunandanan emphasised the importance of providing more families with the support needed to become tobacco and nicotine free. He urged policymakers and the industry to work together and secure a smokefree generation now.

Healthcare professionals can access the patient and educational materials on Kenvue’s Academy+ website.

These include a ‘Quitting together for a smokefree home’ guide, which outlines six practical steps families can take to quit smoking, and a series of educational videos and guidance on how to support partners and dads to quit for good.

Smokers are encouraged to talk to their health visitor, GP, midwife, or pharmacist about accessing specialist support from trained advisors to give them the best chance of quitting.