A controversial scheme to help pregnant women stop smoking could be rolled out across Scotland after a successful trial in Tayside.
The Give It Up For Baby (GIUFB) pilot, which was launched in Dundee in 2007, offers cash incentives to kick the habit.
Pregnant women trying to stop smoking can claim £12.50 of grocery vouchers per smoke-free week.
Participants take weekly breath tests at their local chemist to measure carbon monoxide levels, and those who stay off the cigarettes earn weekly credit on an Asda store card.
The initiative is aimed at helping mothers-to-be buy groceries and baby goods.
However, it has been slammed by critics who claim it is a waste of public money.
The incentive — rolled out across the rest of Tayside in 2008 — works with other smoke-free services including community groups, access to local support and advice, free patches or gum and other healthy lifestyle activities and groups.
So far, over 300 women have signed up to the scheme in Tayside, with over 18% of participants staying smoke-free three months after giving birth.
Now Scottish Government ministers are considering extending GIUFB across the country as they believe it will help thousands of women quit smoking for good and protect their children against ill health.
During parliamentary questions last month, First Minister Alex Salmond said he was considering how to roll GIUFB out throughout the country.EncouragePublic health minister Shona Robison said it was important to work with local health boards to help mothers stub out their smoking habit for good.
She said, “Reducing smoking among pregnant women is a key priority for the Scottish Government and we’re working with NHS boards to encourage pregnant smokers — or smokers planning a pregnancy — to quit.
“It is important to see how good local initiatives such as NHS Tayside’s Give It Up For Baby can be scaled up and delivered more systematically.”
She added, “The initial results do seem to suggest that this incentive approach significantly increases the chances of a pregnant woman successfully quitting smoking.
“We will encourage other health boards to study the final evaluation results when they’re available towards the end of this year and consider whether it is appropriate to adopt a similar approach.”
TaxPayers’ Alliance campaign director Mark Wallace said the scheme sets a “worrying precedent.”
He said, “They will be bribing people with shopping vouchers to do something they ought to do anyway.
“If somebody doesn’t care about the health of their child anyway, will shopping vouchers really change their mind?”
He added, “At its absolute best, this scheme is an unquestionable waste of money for the taxpayers having to effectively pay out, and at worst some people might smoke a few cigarettes in order to qualify for the scheme.”