Breaking the cycle of childrens exposure to tobacco smoke

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Breaking the cycle of childrens exposure to
tobacco smoke

• An overview of childrens exposure to smoking in
  the home
• Tanith Muller
• Towards a Smokefree Society
• Edinburgh, 10th and 11th September 2007

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Overview children and shs

• At particular risk
• Most exposure comes from parents
• Most exposure is in private space homes and
  cars
• Smokefree laws increase smokefree homes, but
  other policies needed

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Source

• www.bma.org.uk/ap.nsf/Content/breakingthecycle

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Children are vulnerable

• SIDS (cot death)
• Asthma
• Respiratory disease
• Glue ear

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In the longer term

• Reduced lung function
• Cardiovascular disease
• Cancers
• Tobacco addiction

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... And its not just health

• Educational absence
• House fires
• Poverty

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The size of the problem

• Reported exposure at home
• Worldwide 43.6
• UK 40 5 million children

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The real size of the problem

• Are exposure levels underestimated?
• Biomarkers
• Most affluent children gt80 exposed
• Least affluent children - gt95 exposed
• In the UK gt10 million children

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Child risks and smoking trends
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Child risks and smoking trends
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Effective Protection

• Best Protection
• Parents to be non-smokers and adopt smokefree
  homes
• Effective Protection
• Completely smokefree homes

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Ineffective Protection

• Inadequate harm reduction approaches
• Opening windows/ doors
• Smoking less
• Not smoking in front of children
• Smoking in different rooms
• Smoking out of the window
• Smoking outside but in front of open door/
  window
• Smoking under kitchen extractor fan
• Air purifiers

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What else do we know?

• Existing child illness does not affect smokefree
  status
• Smokefree homes more likely if only father smokes
  than if only mother smokes or both parents smoke
• Parents who smoke are 10 times more likely to
  allow other people to smoke in their homes
• Barriers to imposing smokefree homes are
  significant

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Driving the message home

• gt50 of all journeys by under 16s
• 30 of smokers smoke in their cars
• PM levels higher than in smoky bars
• Smokers seeking sanctuary?

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Some good news

• Recent data (2003) suggests that more smoking
  parents are declaring their homes smokefree
• Smokefree laws reduce childhood exposure to shs
• Smokefree works! 39 reduction in exposure in
  first year in Scotland

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Taking action

• Education campaigns for parents
• - 3 prompted to quit
• - 1 in 5 stopped smoking around
  children

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Taking action

• Interventions with parents
• Limited evidence of effectiveness even when
  children are unwell
• Attitudes and behaviours, not knowledge
• Need to tackle barriers to smokefree homes
• Smoking cessation support essential

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Big Policies big effects

• Biggest effect from population-wide measures
• Smokefree public places
• Tax and price
• Picture warnings
• Marketing controls