Protecting Children From Tobacco Smoke Exposure: What's Effective, What's Not

Even though the health problems associated with smoking are well-known, the World Health Organization estimates that about half the children in the world - about 700 million - are regularly exposed to tobacco smoke in their homes. What's effective and what's not when it comes to protecting children from smoke? Researchers from Sweden investigated the effectiveness of methods parents use to protect their children from environmental tobacco smoke (ETS).

The smoking parents of 366 Swedish children between 2.5 and 3 years of age answered questions about their smoking behavior. Parents noted whether they smoked at home and how often they smoked at the dinner table, in front of the TV, near an open door, at the kitchen fan, outdoors with the door closed, and whether they changed clothes after smoking. They also reported how many cigarettes they smoked, how often the child was in a smoky environment outside the home, and for how long they'd been smoking. In addition, the children in the study provided urine samples so they could be analyzed for cotinine. (A child's urinary cotinine level tells researchers how much exposure to smoke he or she has had.) The results of the urine samples were compared to the urine samples of 433 children of the same age whose parents didn't smoke.

A parent's smoking behavior had a significant impact on a child's cotinine levels. Children of parents who smoked only outdoors with the door closed had lower urinary cotinine levels than children whose parents employed other methods of reducing smoke exposure. However, children of parents who only smoked outdoors with the door closed still had higher urinary cotinine levels than children whose parents didn't smoke at all. Other actions parents took - such as smoking by a kitchen fan or near an open door - didn't reduce a child's exposure to ETS.

What This Means to You: Smoking outdoors with the door closed reduces your child's exposure to ETS, but not smoking at all is the best way to ensure that your child's health isn't damaged by tobacco. If someone in your home smokes, they should quit to protect the health and wellness of your child. In addition, direct any visitors outdoors if they smoke and don't allow smoking in your home - period. For more information about how to quit smoking, talk to your doctor.

Source: AnnaKarin Johannsson, RN, MPH; Goren Hermansson, MD, PhD; Johnny Ludvigsson, MD, PhD; Pediatrics, April 2004

Reviewed by: Steven Dowshen, MD
Date reviewed: May 2004

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