Exposure to passive smoke in a sample of children in North Western Ireland

Passive smoke causes significant detrimental effects on the health of both children and adults. This study involved distributing a questionnaire to a sample of 265 school children aged between 12 and 17 years in North West Ireland. The aims were to establish the prevalence of passive smoking and to discern whether exposure to passive smoke takes place within or outside the home. Of the 262 valid questionnaires, 188 pupils (72%) classified themselves as non-smokers. Sixty-five pupils (25%) described their mothers as current smokers whilst sixty-one (23%) described their fathers as current smokers. Eighty-five pupils (32%) were exposed to smoke at home and 195 (74%) were exposed to smoke in the wider community, whilst 69 (26%) were exposed to smoke both at home and in the community. Two hundred and eleven pupils (81%) were therefore exposed to passive smoke at some location. Further measures are required to reduce the level of passive smoking. It is important that interventions should restrict smoking in public places in addition to promoting a smoke-free environment in the home.