Parent attitudes about pediatricians addressing parental smoking
Patricia A Cluss1, Deborah Moss
1Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, PA 15213, USA. clusspa@msx.upmc.edu
Insights
Most parents believe pediatricians should discuss parental smoking during visits. This addresses a key barrier for pediatricians intervening in family tobacco use.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Pediatrics
- Behavioral Science
Background:
- Pediatricians are well-positioned to address parental smoking but face barriers.
- Concern over negative parental reactions often deters pediatricians from discussing smoking.
- Parental attitudes towards pediatrician intervention in smoking require investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate parental attitudes regarding pediatricians addressing parental smoking.
- To understand parent perceptions of pediatrician roles in smoking cessation discussions.
- To identify factors influencing parental acceptance of smoking-related inquiries during pediatric visits.
Main Methods:
- Survey of 341 parents immediately following a pediatric visit.
- Utilized chi-square analyses to examine parental responses.
- Assessed attitudes towards pediatricians discussing parental smoking.
Main Results:
- 99% of parents consider discussing smoking a very important part of a pediatrician's job.
- Only a small percentage of smokers (5%) and nonsmokers (1%) opposed pediatrician inquiries.
- Patient satisfaction may increase when physicians address tobacco use.
Conclusions:
- Parents, both smokers and nonsmokers, strongly support pediatricians addressing parental smoking.
- Pediatrician intervention in parental smoking is perceived positively by most parents.
- Addressing parental smoking in pediatric settings is a viable public health strategy.
Objective:
Pediatricians have a great opportunity to intervene in parental smoking, but few do so consistently. Pediatricians consistently cite concern about negative parental reaction as one barrier to addressing parental smoking. This study investigated parent attitudes about pediatricians addressing parental smoking at pediatric visits.
Methods:
Parents (N = 341) were interviewed immediately after a pediatric visit about their attitudes toward pediatricians addressing parental smoking. Chi-square analyses identified relevant factors in parents' responses.
Results:
Most parents (99%; n = 337) said that asking about smoking is a very important part of a pediatrician's job (89%; n = 302) or felt that it did not matter one way or the other (10%; n = 35). There was no difference between attitudes of smoking and nonsmoking parents on this variable (chi(2) = 5.9, df = 1, P >.05). Very few nonsmokers (1%; n = 2) or smokers (5%; n = 2) believed that pediatricians have no business asking about parental smoking. The results support recent reports from adult practice that patient satisfaction ratings are improved when physicians ask about tobacco use and advise about quitting.
Conclusions:
Both smoking and nonsmoking parents strongly believe that pediatricians should address parental smoking in the context of pediatric visits.
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