Parents Won’t Quit Smoking When Kids are Sick
March 23, 2004
By Stacie Overton, Ivanhoe Health Correspondent
SAN FRANCISCO (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- A diagnosis of asthma in their child is not enough to get many parents to quit smoking. Researchers call results of the new study “disappointing.”
Researchers at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, Canada, say results of their study clearly show parents are no more likely to quit smoking or smoke outside if their child develops asthma. They presented their findings Saturday at the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology’s Annual Meeting in San Francisco.
More than 3,500 surveys asking questions about parents' smoking behavior, childhood illnesses and other issues were included in the study. Children in the study were about 7 years old. Researchers asked parents if their child had developed asthma, if they were currently smoking, and, if so, were they smoking inside or outside the home.
Researchers say, overall, the prevalence of smoking in Manitoba decreased during the course of the study from 32 percent to 23 percent, but childhood asthma did not play a role in a parent’s decision to quit smoking. Parents whose children received an asthma diagnosis were no more likely to quite than parents whose children did not develop asthma.
Furthermore, researchers say parents did not choose to quit smoking or smoke outside even when there was a positive family history of asthma.
Joel Liem, M.D., from the University of Manitoba, says, “The drop is happening in Manitoba, but childhood asthma is not the cause. It’s great that rates are dropping, but it’s too bad they’re not dropping more in asthmatic households.”
SOURCE: Stacie Overton at the American Academy of Asthma, Allergy & Immunology’s 60th Annual Meeting in San Francisco, March 19-23, 2004
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