Children's resistance to parents' smoking in the home and car: a qualitative study

Reducing second-hand smoke exposure in the home is a key tobacco control goal, yet few studies have explored children's views and experiences of this. This study aimed to explore children's accounts of family members' smoking in the home and car and the impact of their socio-economic circumstances.

Individual and friendship group interviews using topic guides and visual stimulus methods.

Two communities in Edinburgh, Scotland, one socio-economically advantaged, one socio-economically disadvantaged.

Thirty-eight children aged 10-15 years who had a close family member who smoked.

Focus group and interview topic guides.

Participants in both communities expressed a strong dislike of family members' smoking and concern about the potential impact on the smoker's health. Participants described overt and covert acts of resistance, including challenging relatives about their smoking, expressing disgust and concern, hiding or destroying cigarettes. Some acts were carried out in collusion with a non-smoking parent and/or sibling. Resistant acts were constrained by expectations of negative responses, which appeared to increase with age, wider social norms around smoking and whether or not the young person smoked.

Some children and young people in the United Kingdom, irrespective of socio-economic status, may actively oppose parents' smoking in the home and car, although their influence may be limited by their position in the family and social norms.