Second-hand smoke exposure (SHSe) causes significant morbidity and mortality in children. A large proportion of children with smoking parents do not live in smoke-free homes, however, to date, little is known about the prevalence of partial smoking restrictions and their efficacy in reducing children’s SHSe. Given the lack of convincing evidence on how to achieve further reductions in children’s SHSe in the home, the identification of the modifiable factors associated with childhood SHSe is imperative to reduce the burden of disease resulting from childhood SHSe. Analysis of the Omnibus Survey (OS) revealed that the prevalence of smoke-free homes in England did not increase significantly between 2006 and 2008. Only 30% of smokers reported a smoke-free home in 2008. However, during the same time period, the proportion of smokers (who did not have a smoke-free home) reporting that they did not smoke when in the same room as a child increased significantly from 62.5% to 74.8%. Using the Health Survey for England, biologically validated self-reported measures of child SHSe revealed that in 2008 and 2009 approximately 50% of children living with a smoking parent were not exposed to SHSe in the home (0.30ng/ml, 95% confidence interval 0.27-0.32ng/ml). Of the 50% of children who remained exposed inside the home, 29% had a parent that smoked in one room only in the home. These children had significantly lower cotinine concentrations (1.13ng/ml, 95% CI 1.05-1.22) than the 21% of children with smoking parents who smoked in 2 or more rooms in the home (2.36ng/ml, 95% CI 2.08-2.68ng/ml). Although smoking in one room equates to lower risk it does not equate to no risk and so interventions are required to change indoor smoking to outdoor smoking. The OS data found that good knowledge of SHS-related illnesses was predictive of both full and partial smoking restrictions in the home. Increases in the proportion of respondents with good knowledge occurred during 2003-2006, a period when frequent anti-SHS mass media campaigns were aired. A case-study evaluation of a brief mass media campaign in the North West and North East of England, which aimed to move smoking parents to smoke outside, was found to have no statistically significant effect on home smoking behaviour in the short term, however knowledge that SHS caused both heart attack and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome increased in this region following the campaign whilst simultaneous decreases were found in the rest of England. Following the identification of those children most exposed to SHS, and the modifiable factors associated with this exposure, this thesis suggests that a comprehensive multi-level approach to tobacco control policy, which includes emotive media campaigns which include information on SHS-related illnesses, will contribute to the continued reduction of childhood SHSe.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:558892 |
| Date | January 2012 |
| Creators | Evans, Karen |
| Contributors | Gilmore, Anna ; Sims, Michelle |
| Publisher | University of Bath |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
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