Involuntary Exposure Protecting Children from Secondhand Smoke

1
Involuntary Exposure Protecting Children from
Secondhand Smoke

• Childcare Provider Training

2
Training Objectives

• To provide caregivers with information to educate
  parents about the harmful effects of secondhand
  smoke.
• To enforce a No Smoking Policy in air shared by
  children at any time in any place.
• To acquaint you with a number of free resources
  available to Colorado caregivers and to parents
  interested in reducing their childs exposure or
  quitting smoking.

3
(No Transcript)
4
What is Secondhand Smoke?

• Group A carcinogen
• SHS is a mix of more than 4,000 compounds, over
  60 of which are known to cause cancer.
• Sidestream smoke and mainstream smoke
• Sidestream smoke contains higher concentrations
  of toxic elements.

5
Why Focus on Children?

• Children are particularly susceptible to health
  risks from SHS.
• Childrens exposure is involuntary.
• Most children are exposed to secondhand smoke in
  the home.

6
Home and Car Exposure

• Smoke-filled rooms may have up to six times the
  air pollution as a busy highway.
• Smoking in a confined space (e.g. car) is 23
  times more toxic than smoking in a house.
• It takes more than 3 hours to remove 95 of smoke
  from one cigarette from the room.

7
Impact of Secondhand Smoke on Children

• Increased incidence of
• bronchitis and pneumonia
• wheezing and coughing spells
• ear infections
• asthma
• allergies
• SIDS
• decreased lung growth

8
Tobacco Use in Pregnancy

• Smoking remains the single most important cause
  of poor birth outcome
• 20 low birth weight deliveries
• 8 pre-term babies
• 5 perinatal deaths
• Secondhand smoke risks
• Increased risk for low birth weight infant
• Decreased grow rate

9
Asthma and SHS

• Higher risk of developing asthma.
• More frequent and severe asthma attacks.
• Estimated 11 of all asthma cases and more than
  half a million physician visits for asthma are
  due to smoking in the home.

10
The Reality

• Despite these significant health effects,
  approximately one half of the children in the US
  under the age of 5 are exposed to tobacco smoke,
  with exposure beginning before birth for nearly
  one quarter of them.

11
Receptivity of the Message

• 85 of people who smoke in Colorado report
  wanting to quit.
• 70 of people who smoke with kids are receptive
  to the smoke outside message.
• Those who smoke and believe SHS is harmful and
  take action make more progress towards quitting.

12
You Can Make a Difference

• Person-to-person contact is consistently
  effective.
• Brief tobacco interventions are effective.
• Childcare providers are in a unique position to
  reach tobacco users.
• What you say does matter!

13
What can you do as a childcare provider?

• Ensure a smoke-free environment while the
  children are in your care.
• Educate parents about the health risks from
  secondhand smoke in the home and car.
• Educate children about the risks of secondhand
  smoke.

14
Ensure a smoke-free environment

• Have a written smoke-free policy
• Make all areas of the childcare center smoke-free
  at all times.
• All school grounds smoke-free.
• Vehicles that transport children smoke free at
  all times.
• No smoking by staff or volunteers staff and
  volunteers serve as role models.

15
Ensure a smoke-free environment

• Let parents know of the smoke-free policy and
  ask that they abide by same rules.
• Train all staff and volunteers on the policy.
• Post smoke-free signs and messages.

16
(No Transcript)
17
Smoke-FreeStatic Decals
18
Educate parents about secondhand smoke

• At time of enrollment
• Provide information about the schools policy to
  be smoke-free.
• Discuss health effects of secondhand smoke.
• Include written materials in orientation packet
  on secondhand smoke and quitting resources.

19
SHS Prevention Goal

• Set-up systems to identify childrens exposure to
  SHS .
• Provide at least a brief intervention.
• Identify and deliver the appropriate
  message/intervention.
• Provide on-going education and information.

20
What Messages Motivate?

• Kids health 1 motivational message
• Logic and facts are not enough
• Use health implications carefully
• Provide choices
• Overall, soft sell works best
• Acknowledge the difficulty of quitting

21
(No Transcript)
22
The 5 As
23
Messages for Parents Not Ready to Quit

• It is so important that you reduce your childs
  exposure to secondhand smoke.
• Breathing SHS can be harmful to your childs
  health, you can protect her by making her
  environment smoke-free.
• Children who breathe SHS are more likely to have
  more(personalize) asthma attacks, ear
  infections, wheezing, coughing

24
Engage Parent in Discussion

• What are your thoughts about the relationship
  between smoking and your sons asthma attacks?
• What kinds of things can you do to reduce his
  exposure to SHS?
• What problems will you have in creating a smoke
  free household?
• Where can you smoke outside?

25
Helping Parents Take Action

• Encourage them to set a smoke-free home and car
  policy.
• Ask them not to smoke around their children or to
  allow others to smoke around their children.
• If they must smoke, smoke outside. Smoking in
  another room or opening a window is not enough.
• Recommend they frequent smoke-free restaurants
  and public places.

26
Barriers to SHS Reduction

• Leaving children unattended
• Outside environment may not be safe, too cold,
  unpleasant to go outside
• No time, especially during childcare
• Others in the household smoke
• Other barriers

27
Educating parents

• Parent Educational Programs see SHS toolkit
• Invite guest speakers
• Educational video see order form free
• Bulletin board displays
• Articles in parent newsletters
• Send activities home with child

28
Video

• Please Dont Smoke Around Me

29
Educate children about secondhand smoke

• Involving children in educational activities can
• Help them understand they can leave a room when
  someone is smoking.
• Tell an adult that smoke bothers them.
• Tell a smoker how smoke makes them feel.

30
Smoke-Free Home Pledge

• Motivational tool to help parents make their
  families environment smoke-free.
• Can easily conduct in the childcare center and
  can involve both parents and children.
• Master copies available in packet.

31
Secondhand Smoke and Children Provider Kit

• Laminated Provider Guide Messaging for Parents
• Parent Education Pamphlets English/Spanish
• Posters
• Parent newsletter articles
• Lesson Plans
• Parent Educational Program
• Order forms for Free Materials/Videos

32
Cessation Services

• Free telephone service for all Coloradoans.
• Provides a customized quit plan including
  individual counseling, relapse prevention,
  scheduled calls from counselors, information on
  medications, printed materials.
• Specialized protocols for pregnant women and
  users of spit tobacco.
• Available in English and Spanish

33
Colorado QuitNet My Quit Page
My Next Steps
34
Free Resources

• Rocky Mountain Center Clearinghouse
• Free patient, provider, and employer education
  materials
• Including Quitline and QuitNet promotional
  materials
• Order online (http//www.rmc.org/shop)
• or call 1-800-251-4772

35
Train-the-Trainer

• Interested in becoming a trainer for your
  organization or community?
• Indicate your interest on the evaluation form or
  on the roster.

36
Case Studies

• Break into small groups.
• Discuss the case study together.
• Report back to the larger group.

37
Conclusion

• Secondhand smoke is a significant health risk to
  children and their exposure is involuntary.
• Your advice to reduce a childs exposure to SHS
  should be clear, strong, and personalized.
• Parents will continue to listen to child care
  provider advice even when they are unprepared to
  act on it.

38
Conclusion continued

• Referring people who smoke to the Quitline and
  QuitNet makes a difference.
• Free materials and resources are available.
• You dont have to be a counselor to make a
  difference!

39
Get Incentives for your Center!

• Become a Gold Star Smoke-Free Center and get
  incentives
• 3 of the 4 in Category One
• 3 of the 4 in Category Two
• Order FREE materials

40
For More Information

• Amy Dillon, CHES
• Tobacco Program Manager
• American Lung Association of Colorado
• [phone]
• adillon_at_lungcolorado.org