Successes and (missed) opportunities: Delivering messages to parents around secondhand smoke

Authors:
Jude Robinson, Tina Williams and Louise Laverty

Presenter:
Jude Robinson
Senior Lecturer, University of Liverpool, UK

Abstract
The recent Royal College of Physicians report estimates that 300,000 GP consultations and 9500 hospital admissions of children each year can be attributed to secondhand smoke related harm. It also highlights the importance of smokefree homes being promoted through advice and support from health professionals. The Reducing Children’s Exposure to Second-hand Smoke Training Pack was developed to increase the number of brief second-hand smoking interventions delivered by people who have regular contact with parents and carers of children who are at risk of exposure to second-hand smoke. This paper reports on findings from a qualitative research project that explored how participants attending the training translated the knowledge and skills into their practice. The findings revealed that although the participants were fully committed to the principle of informing parents, limited time, pressures of work and the need to talk to parents about other health or practical issues, including smoking cessation, meant that at times, opportunities to deliver key messages around secondhand smoke and children were missed. The implications for the training and service delivery will be discussed alongside potential opportunities to promote initiatives to share responsibility across
the public and voluntary sector to reduce children’s exposure to secondhand smoke.

Source of funding: Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation, Smokefree North West, Liverpool City Council, Liverpool Primary Care Trust.

Declaration of interest: none

About the presenter
Jude Robinson is a social anthropologist working as a Senior Lecturer in Health Sciences and Deputy Director of the Health and Community Care Research Unit at the University of Liverpool. She has a research interest in the health behaviours of women with families in urban settings. Her work has focused on using depth research methods to understand why parents and carers of young children still expose children to smoke in their homes. Most recently she has explored young people’s smoking and is currently developing a clinician-led intervention to be delivered to parents and carers at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, Liverpool.