Professor Chapman need not be concerned about parents smoking in the
house around their children and exposing them to second-hand smoke. I can
only refer to my own personally conducted research, but as a paediatrician
who sees acute asthmatics on a daily basis, the most frequent response to
the question of whether anyone smokes in the household is usually "Yes,
but outside, not in front of the kids". In fact I am struggling to
remember seeing a parent who has stated (or more accurately perhaps,
admitted) that they did. I want to believe them, and often have idealistic
visions of said parents, stood on the porch, braving the elements ten to
twenty times a day for the sake of their children's health. However my
cynicism wins over, accept that they are lying and I usually nod politely
in agreement before coming up with a way of explaining that smoking
regardless of location is detrimental to their child's health, often
referring to how smoke drifts, and the residual smoke on clothes can be
harmful.
I find this common response encouraging in a way, as at least they
have the insight to realise they are being "naughty" and perhaps their is
a genuine group of parents out there that really DO smoke outside. I am
also aware that parents' smoking is frequently overlooked in the discharge
plan for asthmatics which tend to focus on ensuring the correct delivery
and frequency of bronchodilators and steroids. Linking in smoking parents
to cessation services should perhaps be a compulsory part of discharging
children with respiratory disease.
Rapid Response:
No cause for concern
Professor Chapman need not be concerned about parents smoking in the
house around their children and exposing them to second-hand smoke. I can
only refer to my own personally conducted research, but as a paediatrician
who sees acute asthmatics on a daily basis, the most frequent response to
the question of whether anyone smokes in the household is usually "Yes,
but outside, not in front of the kids". In fact I am struggling to
remember seeing a parent who has stated (or more accurately perhaps,
admitted) that they did. I want to believe them, and often have idealistic
visions of said parents, stood on the porch, braving the elements ten to
twenty times a day for the sake of their children's health. However my
cynicism wins over, accept that they are lying and I usually nod politely
in agreement before coming up with a way of explaining that smoking
regardless of location is detrimental to their child's health, often
referring to how smoke drifts, and the residual smoke on clothes can be
harmful.
I find this common response encouraging in a way, as at least they
have the insight to realise they are being "naughty" and perhaps their is
a genuine group of parents out there that really DO smoke outside. I am
also aware that parents' smoking is frequently overlooked in the discharge
plan for asthmatics which tend to focus on ensuring the correct delivery
and frequency of bronchodilators and steroids. Linking in smoking parents
to cessation services should perhaps be a compulsory part of discharging
children with respiratory disease.
Competing interests:
None declared
Competing interests: No competing interests