Reducing Pediatric Secondhand Tobacco Smoke Exposure in Public and State-Controlled Settings

Most Americans are now aware of the dangers of smoking, and a growing number are also beginning to appreciate the health threat posed by secondhand smoke. Alarmingly, almost 60% of American children ages 3 – 11 are exposed to SHS and about one fourth of American children 18 or younger live with a smoker. Despite a spate of restrictions on smoking in recent years, eliminating children's exposure to secondhand tobacco smoke in a wide variety of settings remains a pressing public health priority. While much exposure occurs in the home, which is an especially challenging setting to regulate, much exposure also occurs in public places and places that are under state control. These settings may be particularly amenable to legislative approaches; regulatory approaches under existing legislative authority, legal approaches through the civil justice system, as well as institutional and educational approaches. The investigator examines specific settings where children are exposed to secondhand tobacco in public places and places of state control, and develops a system to analyze the relative merits and challenges posed by each approach to develop effective and appropriate policy interventions to protect children.