title: Protecting children from taking up smoking: parents' views on what would help.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The present study investigated what factors the parents of children in low-income areas of Auckland, New Zealand, thought could help protect their children from smoking initiation.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants in a large quasi-experimental trial that tested a community-, school- and family-based smoking-initiation intervention were asked in a questionnaire 'What could we do to help you protect your children from smoke and taking up smoking?' Free-text responses were divided into distinct meaning units and categorised independently by two of the researchers.
  
  
  RESULTS
  1806 participants (70% of parents who returned the questionnaire) completed the question. The majority of respondents (80%) were either Pacific Island or Māori mothers and 25% were current smokers. Five main categories of suggested strategies for preventing smoking initiation were identified: building children's knowledge of the ill-effects of smoking; denormalising smoking; reducing access to tobacco; building children's resilience; and health promotion activities. The most common suggestion was to educate children about smoking.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Building children's knowledge of smoking risks was the main strategy parents proposed. There was some support for banning smoking in most public areas and for tougher moves to stop tobacco sales to minors. Few parents suggested innovative or radical strategies, such as banning the sale of tobacco, fining children for smoking or use of competitions. So what? To ensure reductions in smoking initiation for lower socioeconomic and Māori and Pacific Island people, further research should engage Māori, Pacific Island and lower socioeconomic parents in a process that elicits innovative thinking about culturally acceptable strategies.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Tobacco Control Research, School of Population Health, University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland 1142, New Zealand.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Marck
authors.affiliation: Centre for Tobacco Control Research, School of Population Health, University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland 1142, New Zealand.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Glover
authors.affiliation: Centre for Tobacco Control Research, School of Population Health, University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland 1142, New Zealand.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kira
authors.affiliation: Social and Community Health, School of Population Health, University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland 1142, New Zealand.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: McCool
authors.affiliation: Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Population Health, University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland 1142, New Zealand.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Scragg
authors.affiliation: Pacific Health, School of Population Health, University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland 1142, New Zealand.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Nosa
authors.affiliation: NIHI, School of Population Health, University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland 1142, New Zealand.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bullen
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000517:prevention & control; D005260:Female; D006266:Health Education / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006291:Health Policy; D040361:Healthy People Programs; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009520:New Zealand / Q000453:epidemiology; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D011204:Poverty Areas; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000208:ethnology; D000074606:Smoking Prevention; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D062789:Tobacco Products / Q000600:supply & distribution; D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution / Q000517:prevention & control
chemical_list: D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution