| Learning Objective #1: The learner will be able to understand the frequency of secondhand smoke exposure in children at homes in Hong Kong. | |||
| Learning Objective #2: The learner will be able to estimate the agreement of parental reports on secondhand smoke exposure in children at homes |
Methods: This is a cross-sectional survey on parents (smoking fathers and non-smoking mothers) with children under 12 years old, who attended the Maternal and Child Health Centres and/or Student Health Service Centres of the Department of Health in Hong Kong. Parents who consented to participate will be interviewed using a questionnaire via the telephone.
Results: A total of 363 families participated in the survey. The fathers' mean age was 40.8±8.3 years and 61.2% of them had a mild level of nicotine dependency. The mothers' mean age was 36.6±5.7 years and 50.6% were housewives. 29.5% of the fathers and 31.5% of the mothers reported that ‘fathers never smoked at home'. The percentage of agreement of the parental reports of father smoking at home was 70.7% (253/358). More mothers than fathers reported that ‘fathers never smoked around their children' (60.2% vs. 57.9%) and there was a discrepancy between the mothers' and the fathers' reports on the frequency of ‘father smoking around children' with 60.7% (218/359) of agreement
Conclusions: The parent-reported frequency of SHS exposure in children at home in Hong Kong was 70%, which is higher than those reported in the literature (<57%). The fathers actually smoked more frequently at home and around their children than as perceived by the mothers. Our results suggest that parental education on maintaining a smokefree home is of paramount importance, especially after the enactment of the smokefree legislation, to protect children from SHS exposure.
Funding: Studies in Health Services (Project No: SHS-T-02)