A Coffs Harbour-based program that helps pregnant women quit smoking has gone global, winning an international award after it was taken to Germany.
The SISTAQUIT team at Southern Cross University partnered with the Leibniz Institute for Prevention Research and Epidemiology (BIPS) to adapt the program for pregnant women facing socioeconomic disadvantage in Bremen.
The partnership has won the 2026 Mission Award from the Society for Implementation Research Collaboration.
SISTAQUIT was created 10 years ago, with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities guiding it from the start. It trains health professionals to use the ABCD approach: Ask, give Brief advice, offer Cessation support, and Discuss the psychosocial context.
Professor Gillian Gould, a Chief Investigator on the project, is a GP who has worked in health equity for two decades.
“As a GP who has worked in health equity for two decades, the opportunity to adapt SISTAQUIT to a high-priority low socioeconomic population is close to my heart, bringing together these two areas of my interests and expertise,” said Professor Gillian Gould.
The need in Germany is stark. About 27 per cent of mothers in low socioeconomic families smoked during pregnancy, compared with under 2 per cent in high-status families.
The feasibility trial ran from October 2025 to June 2026 across three Bremen services. They were the Pro Kind home-visiting programme and two community midwifery centres.
BIPS doctoral candidate Bibiana Barrera Bernal led the project in Germany. Ms Barrera Bernal said the team looked for a programme backed by strong evidence.
Resources were translated into German, French, and Turkish for the trial.
“The findings will inform the design of a potential future effectiveness trial,” Ms Barrera Bernal said.
Professor Gould said the award honoured the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities behind the program.
“The SIRC Mission Award recognises the strength of international collaboration and, most importantly, the leadership, wisdom and commitment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities who have guided the SISTAQUIT program from its inception,” she said.
Don’t miss any of the important stories from around the region. Subscribe to our email list.