310901
Exposed as a Child: Attitudes Towards Smoking
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Methods: A telephone interview assessing a range of SHS exposure sources within different time frames (including childhood exposure), respiratory symptoms, attitudes towards smoking, and quality of life was completed in 279 self-reported non-smoker adults recruited from the 2011-2012 Florida Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. Chi-square statistics were calculated to test for associations between childhood SHS exposure status (exposed, non-exposed) and various indicators of beliefs on smoking policies, opinions on allowed indoor smoking locations (i.e. bars, restaurants, homes), and general smoking attitudes and reactions.
Results: In this study, 60% of participants reported to have been exposed to SHS during their childhood on a daily basis, 25.8% of participants reported exposure on a less than daily basis, and 14.2% of participants reported to not have been exposed. Among those exposed to SHS during childhood, 72.1% reported being exposed at home. Childhood SHS-exposed participants were significantly more likely to report they found other people’s smoking to be annoying (p<0.05) and that smoking should not be allowed in bars (p<0.05). However, there were no significant associations between childhood SHS-exposure status and attitudes towards other tobacco control policies.
Conclusions: The results may suggest that SHS exposure during childhood does not substantially impact future opinions on others’ smoking behaviors and policies.
Learning Areas:
EpidemiologyPublic health or related laws, regulations, standards, or guidelines
Public health or related organizational policy, standards, or other guidelines
Public health or related public policy
Learning Objectives:
Identify participant’s frequency and source of childhood secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure.
Identify whether there is an association of participants’ childhood SHS exposure with their current attitudes towards smoking.
Identify whether there is an association of participants’ childhood SHS exposure with their current attitudes towards possible tobacco control policy.
Keyword(s): Tobacco Use, Tobacco Control
Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have been involved in the recruitment of new participants, the data collection process, and the data analysis process for the secondhand smoke exposure project referenced in this abstract. In addition, my research interests lie in tobacco control policy and chronic disease epidemiology and prevention. As an MPH student, I have focused my studies on the fields of Health policy and Epidemiology.
Any relevant financial relationships? No
I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.