WHAT'S KNOWN ON THIS SUBJECT: Young adult smokers frequently encounter the health care system as parents coming in for their child' s medical visit. Child health care clinicians, however, do not typically provide smoking cessation assistance to parents. WHAT THIS STUDY ADDS:This national cluster-randomized trial demonstrates that a tobacco dependence intervention for parents can be effectively implemented in routine pediatric outpatient practice.abstract OBJECTIVE: To test whether routine pediatric outpatient practice can be transformed to assist parents in quitting smoking. METHODS:Cluster RCT of 20 pediatric practices in 16 states that received either CEASE intervention or usual care. The intervention gave practices training and materials to change their care delivery systems to provide evidence-based assistance to parents who smoke. This assistance included motivational messaging; proactive referral to quitlines; and pharmacologic treatment of tobacco dependence. The primary outcome, assessed at an exit interview after an office visit, was provision of meaningful tobacco control assistance, defined as counseling beyond simple advice (discussing various strategies to quit smoking), prescription of medication, or referral to the state quitline, at that office visit.RESULTS: Among 18 607 parents screened after their child' s office visit between June 2009 and March 2011, 3228 were eligible smokers and 1980 enrolled (999 in 10 intervention practices and 981 in 10 control practices). Practices' mean rate of delivering meaningful assistance for parental cigarette smoking was 42.5% (range 34%-66%) in the intervention group and 3.5% (range 0%-8%) in the control group (P , .0001). Rates of enrollment in the quitline (10% vs 0%); provision of smoking cessation medication (12% vs 0%); and counseling for smoking cessation (24% vs 2%) were all higher in the intervention group compared with the control group (P , .0001 for each). CONCLUSIONS:A system-level intervention implemented in 20 outpatient pediatric practices led to 12-fold higher rates of delivering tobacco control assistance to parents in the context of the pediatric office visit.

OBJECTIVES: To determine how smoke-free and vape-free home and car policies differ for parents who are dual users of cigarettes and electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes), who only smoke cigarettes, or who only use e-cigarettes. To identify factors associated with not having smokefree or vape-free policies and how often smoke-free advice is offered at pediatric offices. METHODS: Secondary analysis of 2017 parental interview data collected after their children's visit in 5 control practices participating in the Clinical Effort Against Secondhand Smoke Exposure trial. RESULTS: Most dual users had smoke-free home policies, yet fewer had a vape-free home policies (63.8% vs 26.3%; P , .01). Dual users were less likely than cigarette users to have smoke-free car (P , .01), vape-free home (P , .001), or vape-free car (P , .001) policies. Inside cars, dual users were more likely than cigarette users to report smoking (P , .001), e-cigarette use (P , .001), and e-cigarette use with children present (P , .001). Parental characteristics associated with not having smoke-free or vape-free home and car policies include smoking $10 cigarettes per day, using e-cigarettes, and having a youngest child .10 years old. Smoke-free home and car advice was infrequently delivered. CONCLUSIONS: Parents may perceive e-cigarette aerosol as safe for children. Dual users more often had smoke-free policies than vape-free policies for the home. Dual users were less likely than cigarette-only smokers to report various child-protective measures inside homes and cars. These findings reveal important opportunities for intervention with parents about smoking and vaping in homes and cars. WHAT'S KNOWN ON THIS SUBJECT: Many parents who smoke have not adopted strictly enforced smoke-free policies for their homes and cars. Most parents who smoke also do not receive advice from child health care providers about keeping their homes and cars smoke free. WHAT THIS STUDY ADDS: This is the first study to examine parents' rules about prohibiting electronic cigarette and regular tobacco use in homes and cars.

Participants supported newborn screening for treatable disorders but suggested optional screening for other disorders. The variable influences on parents' decision-making suggest that parents with diverse experiences, if they were included in decision-making regarding screening policies, could provide critical perspectives and help screening programs address parents' preferences and meet parents' information needs.

BackgroundThe CEASE (Clinical Effort Against Secondhand Smoke Exposure) intervention was developed to help pediatricians routinely and effectively address the harms of family smoking behaviors. Based on paper versions of CEASE, we partnered with the American Academy of Pediatrics’ online education department and developed a completely distance-based training, including an online CME training, handouts and education materials for families, and phone and email support.MethodsThe pediatric offices of two low income health clinics with primarily Medicaid populations were selected for the study. Pre and post intervention data by survey of the parents was collected in both practices (Practice 1 n = 470; Practice 2 n = 177). The primary outcome for this study was a comparison of rates of clinician’s asking and advising parents about smoking and smoke-free home and cars.ResultsExit surveys of parents revealed statistically significant increases in rates of clinicians asking about parental smoking (22% vs. 41%), smoke-free rules (25% vs. 44%), and asking about other smoking household members (26% vs. 48%).ConclusionsThrough a completely distance based intervention, we were able to train pediatricians who see low income children to ask parents about smoking, smoke-free home and car rules, and whether other household members smoke. Implementing a system to routinely ask about family tobacco use and smoke-free home and car rules is a first step to effectively addressing tobacco in a pediatric office setting. By knowing which family members use tobacco, pediatricians can take the next steps to help families become completely tobacco-free.Trial registrationClinical trials number: NCT01087177

WHAT'S KNOWN ON THIS SUBJECT: Tobacco smoke exposure is associated with increased morbidity in children, and exposure in cars can be particularly intense. The American Academy of Pediatrics policy statement recommends that pediatricians assist families in adopting smoke-free car policies. WHAT THIS STUDY ADDS:In this study, few smoking parents had a strictly enforced smoke-free car policy. Low rates of pediatric health care providers addressing smoking in the car highlights the need for improved pediatric interventions to protect children from tobacco smoke toxins. abstract OBJECTIVE: To determine prevalence and factors associated with strictly enforced smoke-free car policies among smoking parents. METHODS:As part of a cluster, randomized controlled trial addressing parental smoking, exit interviews were conducted with parents whose children were seen in 10 control pediatric practices. Parents who smoked were asked about smoking behaviors in their car and receipt of smoke-free car advice at the visit. Parents were considered to have a "strictly enforced smoke-free car policy" if they reported having a smoke-free car policy and nobody had smoked in their car within the past 3 months. RESULTS:Of 981 smoking parents, 817 (83%) had a car; of these, 795 parents answered questions about their car smoking policy. Of these 795 parents, 29% reported having a smoke-free car policy, and 24% had a strictly enforced smoke-free car policy. Of the 562 parents without a smoke-free car policy, 48% reported that smoking occurred with children present. Few parents who smoke (12%) were advised to have a smoke-free car. Multivariable logistic regression controlling for parent age, gender, education, and race showed that having a younger child and smoking #10 cigarettes per day were associated with having a strictly enforced smoke-free car policy. CONCLUSIONS:The majority of smoking parents exposed their children to tobacco smoke in cars. Coupled with the finding of low rates of pediatricians addressing smoking in cars, this study highlights the need for improved pediatric interventions, public health campaigns, and policies regarding smoke-free car laws to protect children from tobacco smoke.

WHAT'S KNOWN ON THIS SUBJECT: Parental smoking cessation helps eliminate children' s exposure to tobacco smoke. A child' s visit to the doctor provides a teachable moment for parental smoking cessation. Effective strategies to help parents quit smoking are available for implementation.WHAT THIS STUDY ADDS: Evidence-based outpatient intervention for parents who smoke can be delivered successfully after the initial implementation. Maximizing parental quit rates in the pediatric context will require more complete and sustained systems-level integration. abstract OBJECTIVE: To determine whether an evidence-based pediatric outpatient intervention for parents who smoke persisted after initial implementation. METHODS:A cluster randomized controlled trial of 20 pediatric practices in 16 states that received either Clinical and Community Effort Against Secondhand Smoke Exposure (CEASE) intervention or usual care. The intervention provided practices with training to provide evidence-based assistance to parents who smoke. The primary outcome, assessed by the 12-month followup telephone survey with parents, was provision of meaningful tobacco control assistance, defined as discussing various strategies to quit smoking, discussing smoking cessation medication, or recommending the use of the state quitline after initial enrollment visit. We also assessed parental quit rates at 12 months, determined by self-report and biochemical verification.RESULTS: Practices' rates of providing any meaningful tobacco control assistance (55% vs 19%), discussing various strategies to quit smoking (25% vs 10%), discussing cessation medication (41% vs 11%), and recommending the use of the quitline (37% vs 9%) were all significantly higher in the intervention than in the control groups, respectively (P , .0001 for each), during the 12-month postintervention implementation. Receiving any assistance was associated with a cotinine-confirmed quitting adjusted odds ratio of 1.89 (95% confidence interval: 1.13-3.19). After controlling for demographic and behavioral factors, the adjusted odds ratio for cotinine-confirmed quitting in intervention versus control practices was 1.07 (95% confidence interval: 0.64-1.78). CONCLUSIONS:Intervention practices had higher rates of delivering tobacco control assistance than usual care practices over the 1-year follow-up period. Parents who received any assistance were more likely to quit smoking; however, parents' likelihood of quitting smoking was not statistically different between the intervention and control groups. Maximizing parental quit rates will require more complete systems-level integration and adjunctive cessation strategies. Pediatrics 2014;134:933-941

Background Thirdhand smoke is residual tobacco smoke contamination that remains after a cigarette is extinguished. A national study indicates that adults’ belief that thirdhand smoke (THS) harms children is associated with strict household no-smoking policies. The question of whether pediatricians can influence THS beliefs has not been assessed. Purpose To identify prevalence of THS beliefs and associated factors among smoking parents, and the association of pediatrician intervention on parent belief that THS is harmful to their children. Methods Exit interview data were collected from 1980 parents following a pediatric office visit. Parents' level of agreement or disagreement that THS can harm the health of babies and children was assessed. A multivariate logistic regression model was constructed to identify whether pediatricians’ actions were independently associated with parental belief that THS can harm the health of babies and children. Data were collected from 2009 to 2011, and analyses were conducted in 2012. Results Ninety-one percent of parents believed that THS can harm the health of babies and children. Fathers (AOR 0.59 [95% CI=0.42, 0.84]) and parents who smoked >10 cigarettes per day (AOR 0.63 [95% CI=0.45, 0.88]) were less likely to agree with this statement. In contrast, parents who received advice (AOR 1.60 [95% CI=1.04, 2.45]) to have a smokefree home or car or to quit smoking and parents who were referred (AOR 3.42 [95% CI=1.18, 9.94]) to a “quitline” or other cessation program were more likely to agree that THS can be harmful. Conclusions Fathers and heavier smokers were less likely to believe that THS is harmful. However, pediatricians’ actions to encourage smoking parents to quit or adopt smokefree home or car policies were associated with parental beliefs that THS harms children.

Thirdhand smoke harm belief was associated with a strictly enforced smoke-free home and car and attempts to quit smoking. Sensitizing parents to thirdhand smoke risk could facilitate beneficial tobacco control outcomes.