Body Sense Teen Newsletter
The three leading causes of infant death in Maryland--prematurity, low birth weight, and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)—are all strongly linked to smoking during pregnancy. Because 43 percent of live births in Maryland are unintended, (Maryland PRAMS report, 2005) efforts to prevent poor pregnancy outcomes related to tobacco use must focus on the pre-conceptual population. With this fact in mind, the Body Sense program was designed to encourage teenage girls to quit smoking--long before they are ready to think about starting a family.
Developed by DHMH’s Center for Health Promotion, Education and Tobacco Use Prevention, the Body Sense program’s goals are to educate female teen smokers about smoking related health risks, motivate them to quit, and provide support for them to quit successfully and maintain a smoke-free lifestyle. The program is a low-intensity, nurse-driven intervention offered in a clinical setting. Counseling is offered to teenage girls receiving family planning services from one of Maryland’s local health departments.
We offer a FREE training to departments/centers that would like to become for familiar with educating and counseling teens about smoking. The program also uses a self-help tool in the form of an upbeat, colorful newsletter called Body Sense, which explores the relationship between tobacco use and health issues of concern to teen girls, such as weight loss and skin care. Nurses distribute the newsletter during counseling sessions. Participants are encouraged to read the newsletter complete the enclosed evaluation card and return the card to clinic staff for a small incentive. The cards are returned to the Center for Health Promotion for evaluation.