Asthma management and environmental tobacco smoke exposure reduction in Latino children: a controlled trial.
OBJECTIVE
This study tested the efficacy of coaching to reduce environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) exposure among asthmatic Latino children.


METHODS
After asthma management education, families were randomly assigned to no additional service (control condition) or to coaching for ETS exposure reduction (experimental condition).


METHODS
The study was conducted in San Diego, California.


METHODS
Two hundred four Latino children (ages 3-17 years) with asthma participated.


METHODS
Approximately 1.5 hours of asthma management education was provided; experimental families also obtained 7 coaching sessions ( approximately 45 minutes each) to reduce ETS exposure.


METHODS
Reported ETS exposure and children's urine cotinine were measured.


RESULTS
Parents in the coached condition reported their children exposed to significantly fewer cigarettes than parents of control children by 4 months (postcoaching). Reported prevalence of exposed children decreased to 52% for the coached families, but only to 69% for controls. By month 4, mean cotinine levels decreased among coached and increased among control children. Cotinine prevalence decreased from 54% to 40% among coached families, while it increased from 43% to 49% among controls. However, cotinine levels decreased among controls to the same level achieved by coached families by the 13-month follow-up.


CONCLUSIONS
Asthma management education plus coaching can reduce ETS exposure more than expected from education alone, and decreases in the coached condition may be sustained for about a year. The delayed decrease in cotinine among controls is discussed.
Hovell
Melbourne F
MF
Center for Behavioral Epidemiology and Community Health, Graduate School of Public Health, San Diego State University, San Diego, California 92123, USA. behepi@rohan.sdsu.edu
Meltzer
Susan B
SB
Wahlgren
Dennis R
DR
Matt
Georg E
GE
Hofstetter
C Richard
CR
Jones
Jennifer A
JA
Meltzer
Eli O
EO
Bernert
J Thomas
JT
Pirkle
James L
JL
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001249:Asthma / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000628:therapy* / Q000652:urine; D002140:California; D002648:Child; D002669:Child Welfare; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003367:Cotinine / Q000652:urine; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005260:Female; D006266:Health Education / Q000379:methods; D006630:Hispanic or Latino; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D010290:Parents / Q000193:education; D016540:Smoking Cessation; D000074606:Smoking Prevention; D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution / Q000517:prevention & control*
D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution; D003367:Cotinine