STE. GENEVIEVE, Mo. (AP) — Six sites across Missouri are participating in a new program that offers a year of free diapers to new mothers who agree to give up cigarettes.

The program is called “Baby and Me: Tobacco Free.”

Cities in Missouri that offer the program include Habbibal, Fredericktown, Clinton, Cape Girardeau, Ste. Genevieve, and Marshall.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports it is gaining traction nationwide since a 2011 study showed its success in helping women not only quit during pregnancy but stay smoke-free for months afterward.

Twelve states have Baby and Me programs, and a dozen others have programs in the works.

Missouri ranks near the top of states in the number of pregnant women who smoke. About 17.5 percent of women in Missouri smoke during pregnancy, more than twice the national average.

(AP with Post contributions)