Applied gaming for a smokefree generation

Smoking during and after pregnancy has negative consequences for (experienced) health of parents and children. It also increases the chance that children will smoke later in their lives.

In this project, we aimed to break through this intergenerational circle by supporting smoking prevention approach within family-central treatment method 'VoorZorg'. VoorZorg is a program for vulnerable young women who are pregnant from their first child. They receive up to two years of intensive nursing support in education, lifestyle, personal development. This support continues after the moment the baby is born as well. VoorZorg is geared to existing facilities and involves the social environment of women. 

The program teaches women how to quit smoking, but daily tool to support this good behaviour can still be improved. During pregnancy 33% of Pre-Careers smoke two months after the pregnancy. After childbirth this percentage goed back up to 49%. In this project, we develop, implement, and evaluate an innovative "applied gaming" intervention for sustainable smoking prevention in vulnerable families. We focus both on the skills of the mothers themselves and on a sustainable change in their social environment.

The project consisted of three parts:

1. Co-creation of game elements with VoorZorg participants, their social environment, and VoorZorg care givers.
2. Pilot implementation and evaluation of game elements within the National Pre-Care Program.
3. Develop an implementation and evaluation plan for rolling out the game elements within other settings in the Netherlands.

This project was a cooperation of the social medicine department of the AMC/UvA, the Nederlands Centrum Jeugdgezondheid, the VU medical centre, the GGD and 1elijn Amsterdam. The project has been made possible by the support of the NutsOhra Fund.