Reducing Childhood ETS Exposure

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Reducing Childhood ETS Exposure

• Reaching Parents Who Smoke
• Kathryn Kahler Vose, M.A.
• Executive Vice President, Porter Novelli
• Carrie Schum, M.A.
• Vice President, Porter Novelli

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Reaching Parents Who Smoke

• At the end of this presentation, you will
  understand differences in attitudes and behaviors
  between parents who smoke and those who dont,
  and how these can influence communication
  designed to reach them.

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Reaching Parents Who Smoke

• Presentation Outline
• Scope of the problem.
• Analysis of Porter Novellis Styles data on
  parents who smoke.
• Recommendations for developing an ETS reduction
  program directed at parents who smoke.

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Reaching Parents Who Smoke

• How severe is the problem of childhood ETS
  exposure? According to the CDC
• 15 million children and adolescents were exposed
  to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) in their
  homes in 1996.
• Between one-third and one-half of adults who
  currently smoke have children living in the home,
  
• The majority (70 percent) allow smoking in some
  or all areas of the home.

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Reaching Parents Who Smoke

• How severe is the problem of childhood ETS
  exposure?
• Children whose parents smoke are more likely to
  smoke than those whose parents do not smoke.
• Children whose parents smoke are more likely to
  suffer from pneumonia, bronchitis, asthma, and
  other lung diseases.

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Reaching Parents Who Smoke

• About Styles
• HealthStyles is an annual survey of Americans
  attitudes about health behaviors.
• ConsumerStyles is an annual survey of what
  Americans are buying and what media they use.
• The databases are linked so that in-depth
  portraits of the desired audiences can be
  created.

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Reaching Parents Who Smoke

• About Styles
• HealthStyles survey began in 1995.
• ConsumerStyles began in 1992
• Survey 6,000 people on 2,000 variables each year.
• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
  the National Cancer Institute, and The Robert
  Wood Johnson Foundation have all used Styles data
  in their communication planning.

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Reaching Parents Who Smoke

• We analyzed data about parents of children under
  age six, looking at differences between parents
  who smoke and those who do not smoke.

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Reaching Parents Who Smoke

• What did we learn about parents who smoke?

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Reaching Parents Who Smoke

• Parents who smoke are just as likely to value
  their health there were no significant
  differences between smokers and non-smokers when
  asked
• Living a long life is important to me (75
  agreed).
• Living life in the best possible health us very
  important to me (about 65 agreed).

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Reaching Parents Who Smoke

• However, smokers are less likely to agree that
• They actively try to prevent disease (26
  compared to 36 of non-smokers),
• They do everything they can to stay healthy (24
  compared to 33 of non-smokers), or
• They search for information when they are sick
  (49 compared to 55 of non-smokers).

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Reaching Parents Who Smoke

• Parents who smoke dont want to be lectured at
  about their health
• They are more likely to say that when it comes to
  health information, they are tired of people
  telling them what to do (30 compared to 21 of
  non-smokers).

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Reaching Parents Who Smoke

• Smokers have a harder time comprehending health
  information.
• They are almost twice as likely to say that most
  health issues are too complex for them to
  understand (19 vs. 10 ), and that they often
  dont understand the language doctors use (25
  vs. 16).

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Reaching Parents Who Smoke

• They rely less on their doctors
• Smokers are less likely to say that they have
  good relationships with their health care
  providers (42 vs. 52).

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Reaching Parents Who Smoke

• But they do rely on their childs doctor.
• Over 80 of both smokers and non-smokers say
  their top source for decisions relating to their
  childs health is his or her health care
  provider.
• Family and the childs other parent are the other
  top sources.

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Reaching Parents Who Smoke

• They know their health could be better.
• They are less likely than non-smokers to say that
  they are in excellent or very good health (27
  vs. 43).
• Correspondingly, they are more likely to say they
  are in fair or poor health (24 vs. 15).

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Reaching Parents Who Smoke

• Social influences are very important.
• Half of all smokers say that most of their
  friends also smoke.
• Only 12 of non-smokers agree.

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Reaching Parents Who Smoke

• Awareness of the health risks of smoking is low
• Only half of smokers with a young child at home
  recognize that their use of cigarettes is a
  threat to their health.

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Reaching Parents Who Smoke

• Confidence in their ability to quit is low.
• 39 of parents who smoke say they intend to quit
  smoking in the next month.
• Only 23 are confident that they will succeed in
  quitting for at least one month.

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Reaching Parents Who Smoke

• Smokers use some forms of media more than
  non-smokers.
• They watch more TV and listen to more radio.
• But they read fewer magazines and are less likely
  to look to the Internet for health information.

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Reaching Parents Who Smoke

• Smokers watch an average of four more hours of
  television per week than non-smokers.
• They are more likely to watch reality TV, soap
  operas, and music channels.
• Less likely to watch either local or national
  news.

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Reaching Parents Who Smoke

• Smokers listen to the radio more than non-smokers
  (about two more hours a week).
• More likely to listen to classic rock,
  alternative/progressive rock and hard rock
  stations.
• Three times more likely to listen to
  religious/gospel stations.

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Reaching Parents Who Smoke

• Smokers are much less likely to look for health
  information on the Internet.
• 49 say they never use the Internet for health
  information, compared to 33 of non-smokers.

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Reaching Parents Who Smoke

• Smokers are significantly more likely to say they
  do not read any magazines regularly (31 vs.
  25).
• About 20 read Parenting, 15 say they read
  Parents.
• Smokers are more likely than non-smokers to read
  TV Guide, Cosmopolitan, Glamour, Soap Opera
  Digest, Consumer Reports, and Playboy.

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What does this mean?Recommendations for
Developing a Communications Program to Reach
Parents with ETS Messages
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Keep it Simple

• Complex messages are not easily understood by
  this audience.

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Stress the Positive

• Parents care about their childrens health
• Focus on the benefits to their children if they
  quit.
• Parents doubt their own ability to quit
  successfully.
• Offer support.
• Use personal stories of other parents who have
  succeeded in quitting.

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Use Personal Contacts

• Friends and family are powerful influences on
  smoking parents behavior.
• Pediatricians and their staffs are also trusted
  sources.

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Use Targeted Media

• Local radio can be effective.
• try enlisting local DJs with kids to undertake
  quit attempts and follow their efforts on the
  air.
• For national efforts, try working with soap opera
  writers to get the issue into plot lines.
• Continue to push the issue with parenting
  magazines.

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Reaching Parents Who Smoke

• Conclusion
• Parents who smoke differ from non-smokers in
  important ways.

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Reaching Parents Who Smoke

• There are significant barriers to reaching them,
  including
• Resistance to being lectured.
• Strong social support for smoking.
• Poor relationships with health care providers.
• Communication must identify benefits that
  overcome these barriers.

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Reaching Parents Who Smoke

• Styles data identifies some important benefits
• Nearly half of parents who smoke want to quit,
  and they care about their health.
• Indicates that they are open to ETS messages if
  presented in the right way.
• They use more of some forms of media, so there
  are more opportunities to reach them.

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Reducing Childhood ETS Exposure

• Reaching Parents Who Smoke