Maternal action and ethnicity in the prevention of adolescent smoking in south eastern Sydney

Struggling to understand: the experience of nonsmoking parents with adolescents who smoke

Smoking among adolescents is a major public health concern. Most parents would not want their children engaged in this risk-taking behavior. Although a majority of parents of smokers are themselves smokers, many are nonsmokers. The purpose of this grounded theory study was to understand what nonsmoking parents experience due to their adolescent children 's smoking behavior. The purposive sample consisted of 25 parents. The interview data generated the theory that nonsmoking parents struggle to understand their adolescents' smoking. They experienced four stages: discovering the smoking, facing the problem, reflecting, and waiting it out. Their experience can be examined from a stress paradigm. Programs are needed that provide parents with the knowledge and skills required for effective prevention and intervention strategies.

Factors associated with smoke-free homes in NSW: results from the 1998 NSW Health Survey

OBJECTIVE

To examine the sociodemographic characteristics associated with smoke-free homes (SFHs) in NSW and specify high-risk groups with a low prevalence of household smoking restrictions.

METHODS

Data were drawn from the 1998 NSW Health Survey, a computer-assisted telephone interview survey of 17,494 randomly selected respondents aged > or = 16 years across NSW (response rate = 70%). Logistic regression analyses, stratified by smoking status, were used.

RESULTS

Overall, 72% of adults reported having a SFH; 87% of never-smokers, 81% of ex- and 35% of current smokers. The highest percentages of SFHs were reported in households with young children (78%) and with older children (72%) or with adults only (72%). For smokers, SFHs were independently associated with the presence of young children (OR=3.8, 95% CI 3.1-4.7) compared with those who lived alone, but the odds of living in a SFH were only slightly increased for smokers living with older children (aged 6-15) and for those living with adults only (OR=1.9, OR=1.8 respectively). Speaking a language other than English at home, having more than 10 years' education, and being <35 years old were independently and positively associated with SFH. Being employed in smoke-free workplaces increased the likelihood of SFHs for both current and past smokers (OR=1.6, OR=1.2 respectively).

CONCLUSION

Most NSW homes have restrictions on smoking inside, but more than half the households with children and at least one smoker adult are not smoke free.

IMPLICATIONS

Interventions to shape parents' smoking behaviour around older children are warranted. Strategies need to address never-smokers in communities with high prevalence of smoking and adults with lower levels of education. A continued commitment to workplace smoking bans is important as they may affect household smoking restrictions.