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Published on: February 12, 2015
Tobacco use among children in Romanian foster care homes
Ferencz Iozsef Lorand1, Abram Zoltan2, Schmidt Lorand3
1Department of Hygiene, University of Medicine and Pharmacy Targu Mures, Targu Mures, Romania lorandferencz@yahoo.com.
Insights
This study reveals high rates of early smoking experimentation among Romanian foster care children. Peer influence and parental smoking significantly increase experimentation risks, while longer foster care duration shows a protective effect.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Child Psychology
- Sociology
Background:
- Children in child protection facilities are susceptible to early tobacco experimentation.
- This research is the first to examine smoking prevalence and correlates in Romanian foster care residents.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the prevalence of smoking behavior among children in foster care homes in Romania.
- To identify sociodemographic, peer, and foster family factors associated with tobacco experimentation and recent use.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 791 children aged 8-17 residing in 148 foster care homes across four Transylvanian counties.
- Data collected included sociodemographic information, peer and family smoking habits, and tobacco use history (experimentation and past 30-day use).
Main Results:
- Nearly half of the children (44.6%) reported experimenting with tobacco, and 25.9% reported use in the past 30 days.
- Key correlates of increased smoking included older age (13-17 years), having friends or siblings who smoke, and parental smoking in the foster home.
- Conversely, longer duration of living in foster care was associated with decreased odds of smoking.
Conclusions:
- High rates of smoking experimentation and use necessitate targeted anti-tobacco interventions for Romanian foster care children.
- Interventions should address the significant roles of peer influence, family smoking habits, and potentially leverage the protective factor of longer foster care placement.
Background:
Children living in facilities under the supervision of child protection authorities are vulnerable to early smoking experimentation. This is the first study to report the prevalence and correlates of smoking behaviour among foster care home residents in Romania.
Methods:
We conducted an in-person, cross-sectional survey of 914 resident children in 148 foster care homes of four Transylvanian counties. We included children <18 and those with complete tobacco use information in the analytical sample (n = 791). Sociodemographic, peer and foster family characteristics were evaluated for their influence on tobacco experimentation and past 30-day use.
Results:
Respondents included 50.7% girls of average age 13.6 years (range 8-17). Almost half reported ever experimenting with tobacco (44.6%) and approximately one in four reported past 30-day use (25.9%). Factors significantly associated with an increased odds of smoking experimentation and past 30-day use in the multivariable model included being 13-17 years old (vs. <12 years), having friends who are current smokers, and having a sibling who smokes. Living in a home with a foster mother or foster father who smokes was associated with increased odds of experimentation and past-30 day use, respectively. The longer time living in foster care was associated with decreased odds of experimentation and past 30-day use controlling for all covariates.
Conclusion:
Anti-tobacco programmes that incorporate the role family and peers to reduce smoking are needed to address the high rates of use among Romanian foster care children.
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