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Pregnant women smokers urged to call toll-free hotline

Pregnant women who are trying to quit smoking face unique challenges, health officials said yesterday, urging them to call the anti-smoking hotline if they are still smoking or need advice on how to avoid passive smoking.

The toll-free hotline number is 0800-636-363.

"Because smoking affects the health of the fetus, quitting is an imperative for pregnant women," said Chao Kun-yu (趙坤郁), deputy director general of the Bureau of Health Promotion at the Department of Health. However, some aids used to quit smoking, such as nicotine patches, can't be used by pregnant women because they might also affect the health of the unborn child, adding to the difficulty of kicking the habit, he said.

According to the bureau's figures, 6.6 percent of pregnant women in this country smoke. This is low compared to the US, but high compared to many other Asian countries.

Counselors rely on practical advice and a non-judgmental attitude to help women to overcome their addiction to cigarettes, hotline counselor Tai Chueh-fen (戴雀芬) said.

"These women already know that smoking is bad for their baby," Tai said. "They are under tremendous psychological pressure not to smoke, but are often overwhelmed by their addiction."

"Under those circumstances, putting more pressure on them by scolding them is only going to ensure they never call back," she said, emphasizing the importance of establishing a supportive relationship with the caller.

"In many cases, she is smoking in secret because she doesn't want her family to know," Tai said. "A counselor is the only person she can talk to about this problem."

Tai has also received calls from women who do not smoke, but are exposed to second-hand smoke.

"Unfortunately, many men feel pregnancy is a woman's business and whether they smoke or not is their business," she said. "But second-hand smoke can be just as harmful to fetal development."

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