Exploring children's secondhand smoke exposure with early child care providers

Area of Science:

• Environmental Health
• Pediatric Health
• Public Health Interventions

Background:

• Secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure significantly contributes to morbidity and mortality in inner-city African-American children.
• There is a critical need for evidence-based programs to mitigate the adverse effects of SHS in this vulnerable population.

Purpose of the Study:

• To collaborate with an early child care center to investigate factors associated with young children's SHS exposure.
• To lay the groundwork for developing effective strategies aimed at reducing SHS exposure in this community.

Main Methods:

• Survey data collected from 63 African-American parents of children aged 5 years or younger in urban Minneapolis (2008-2009).
• Salivary cotinine levels were assessed in 43 participating children to objectively measure SHS exposure.

Main Results:

• Parents below the poverty level were more likely to report regular SHS exposure for their children (p=0.01).
• Complete home smoking restrictions were reported by 68% of participants, correlated with health provider advice (p=0.001).
• 39.5% of children had cotinine levels > 0.64 ng/ml, indicating significant SHS exposure; lower levels correlated with detached housing.

Conclusions:

• SHS exposure is prevalent among young children in the studied urban African-American community.
• Findings support the development of targeted health messages and interventions to reduce childhood SHS exposure.