title: Children with asthma versus healthy children: differences in secondhand smoke exposure and caregiver perceived risk.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure remains a public health problem. Few, if any, studies include both children with and without asthma to assess differences in caregiver smoking behavior, risk perception, and SHS.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants were 738 daily U.S. smokers (443 caregivers of children with asthma [CG-AC] and 295 caregivers of healthy children [CG-HC]; 50.9% White, 25% Black, 15% Latino). Data are cross-sectional; SHS was measured through self-report and passive dosimetry.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared with CG-HC, CG-AC had fewer risk factors for exposing children to SHS (lower nicotine dependence, higher motivation to quit, greater perceived benefits of cessation on child's health, and lower optimistic bias; all p values < .05). Specifically, 60.6% of CG-AC reported a household smoking ban versus 40.1% of CG-HC (p < .05), though >95% of both groups had detectable levels of SHS in their home. CG-AC self-reported lower SHS than CG-HC, but both groups had nearly equivalent SHS when measured objectively. CG-AC were almost twice as likely as CG-HC to report a home smoking ban when they had detectable levels of household SHS as measured by passive dosimetry (OR = 1.71; 95% CI = 1.2, 2.4; p = .003).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Caregivers of children with chronic health conditions, such as asthma, may be motivated to self-report lower levels of SHS. Child health status (e.g., asthma) may cue practitioners to inquire about SHS, but given the low proportion of household bans and high levels of actual exposure among both groups, SHS exposure assessment and reduction/elimination counseling should be prompted to occur for all children.
authors.affiliation: Centers for Behavioral and Preventive Medicine and the Program in Nicotine and Tobacco, Alpert Medical School of Brown University and Miriam Hospital, Providence, RI;
authors.forename: Belinda
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Borrelli
authors.forename: Elizabeth L
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: McQuaid
authors.forename: Theodore L
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Wagener
authors.forename: S Katharine
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Hammond
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001249:Asthma / Q000453:epidemiology*; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D057566:Self Report; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution / Q000009:adverse effects*
chemical_list: D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution