title: Chinese pediatrician beliefs about counseling and medications for parents who smoke: a survey in southern China.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Pediatricians play an important role in promoting smoking cessation among the parents of young children as more behavioral counseling and cessation treatment are made available in the Chinese healthcare system. However, beliefs about the effectiveness of these interventions can influence pediatricians' recommendations to their patients. This study examined pediatricians' beliefs regarding effectiveness of counseling and medications for smoking cessation.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional survey of pediatricians was conducted in thirteen conveniently selected southern Chinese hospitals, during September to December 2013. A self-administered questionnaire was used for data collection. We used chi square tests and multinomial logistic regression analysis to identify factors associated with beliefs regarding effectiveness of counseling and medications for smoking cessation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Beliefs of the respondents (504/550; 92% response rate) were divided regarding the effectiveness of counseling and medications for smoking cessation. Sixty percent believed that physician counseling is effective for smoking cessation; 53% believed pharmacological products (or medications) are effective. Factors that were associated with positive beliefs towards the effectiveness of counseling included: believing about the professional responsibility to discuss smoking cessation, being confident in discussing smoking cessation or SHS exposure reduction with patients' parents, believing that health professionals should routinely ask about their patients smoking habits, believing that health professionals should routinely advise their smoking patients to quit smoking, possessing adequate knowledge in quitting smoking, and being able to assess smokers different stages of readiness to quit. Most of the above factors were also associated with the belief that medication is effective for smoking cessation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A substantial proportion of Chinese pediatricians believed that cessation counseling and medications are not effective, which is not supported by current evidence in the field. Several factors including individual, practice level and health system level characteristics were associated with their belief. Training efforts are needed to influence pediatricians' beliefs regarding the effectiveness of cessation counseling and medications.
authors: School of Public Health, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi 530021 China.
authors: Kaiyong
authors: K
authors: Huang
authors: Global Health Program, Duke Kunshan University, Duke Avenue, Kunshan, Jiangsu 215316 China ; Duke Global Health Institute, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina USA ; Boston University School of Medicine, Boston Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts USA.
authors: Abu S
authors: AS
authors: Abdullah
authors: Department of Pediatrics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi 530021 China.
authors: Jing
authors: J
authors: Liao
authors: School of Public Health, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi 530021 China.
authors: Haiying
authors: H
authors: Huo
authors: School of Public Health, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi 530021 China.
authors: Li
authors: L
authors: Yang
authors: School of Public Health, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi 530021 China.
authors: Zhiyong
authors: Z
authors: Zhang
authors: MGH Center for Child and Adolescent Health Research and Policy, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA.
authors: Jonathan P
authors: JP
authors: Winickoff
authors: Department of Pediatrics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi 530021 China.
authors: Guangmin
authors: G
authors: Nong
keywords: Beliefs; Counseling; Effectiveness; Medication; Pediatrician; Smoking cessation