Household characteristics, smoking bans, and passive smoke exposure in young children.

INTRODUCTION: Young children are vulnerable to the health effects of environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) exposure in their own homes. Characteristics of households and the use of smoking bans (i.e., no smoking allowed) as an indicator of smoke exposure need to be understood before interventions can be developed to eliminate ETS exposure in homes where young children live.
METHODS: This cross-sectional, descriptive study investigated demographic characteristics, knowledge, attitudes/beliefs, health of children, smoking practices, and the presence of smoking bans in households. A survey questionnaire was administered to a convenience sample of 226 English- and Spanish-speaking subjects, 18 to 50 years of age, including both smokers and nonsmokers. Cotinine levels of urine samples from children measured actual smoke exposure to confirm reports of home smoking policies.
RESULTS: Ethnicity of households (P < .001) and negative attitudes toward smoke exposure (P < .001) predicted the presence of smoking bans. The number of households with no or partial smoking bans correlated significantly with urine cotinine levels (r = .486); the presence of no or partial smoking bans predicted smoke exposure in households. DISCUSSION: Because the use of smoking bans in predicting household smoke exposure has not been previously demonstrated, further study is needed to determine how smoking bans can be utilized to eliminate or reduce smoke exposure in homes where children live.