Parent reported home smoking bans and toddler (18-30 month) smoke exposure: a cross-sectional survey.
OBJECTIVE
To study the relation between the use of parent reported home smoking bans and smoke exposure among children aged 18-30 months.


METHODS
A total of 309 smoking households with children aged 18-30 months, who were part of the Coventry Cohort study, consented to participate in this cross-sectional survey.


RESULTS
Although parents in almost 88% of smoking households reported using harm reduction strategies to protect their toddlers from smoke exposure, only 13.9% reported smoking bans in the house. Mean log urinary cotinine:creatinine ratio was significantly lower for those children whose parents reported no smoking in the house (1.11, 95% CI 0.64 to 1.49) compared with none/less strict strategies (1.87, 95% CI 1.64 to 2.10). In linear regression models fitted on log cotinine:creatinine ratio, no smoking in the house was independently associated with a significant reduction in cotinine:creatinine ratio (B = -0.55, 95% CI -0.89 to -0.20) after adjusting for mother's and partner's average daily cigarette consumption, housing tenure, and overcrowding. The final model accounted for 44.3% of the variance.


CONCLUSIONS
Not smoking in the house was associated with a reduction in mean urinary cotinine:creatinine ratio in children aged 18-30 months; the relation persisted after adjustment for levels of mother's and partner's daily cigarette consumption and sociodemographic factors. Results suggest that home smoking bans in this age group have a small but significant effect on smoke exposure independent of levels of parental tobacco consumption.
Spencer
N
N
School of Health and Social Studies, University of Warwick, UK. n.j.spencer@warwick.ac.uk
Blackburn
C
C
Bonas
S
S
Coe
C
C
Dolan
A
A
D002675:Child, Preschool; D003367:Cotinine / Q000652:urine; D003404:Creatinine / Q000652:urine; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005192:Family Health; D005260:Female; D040261:Harm Reduction; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D010290:Parents; D016540:Smoking Cessation / Q000379:methods*; D000074606:Smoking Prevention; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution / Q000517:prevention & control*
D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution; D003404:Creatinine; D003367:Cotinine