The effects of planned education given to parents on smoking in the home environment and passive exposure of children aged 0–5: A quasi-experimental pre-post intervention study from Turkey

Abstract

PurposeThis study was carried out to determine the effects of planned education given to parents on smoking status at home and on children's passive smoking exposure. Design and methodsThis quasi-experimental study was conducted with the inclusion of 40 parents with at least one child between the ages of 0 and 5 and smoking in their homes, who were registered at a Family Health Center in a city center in the Central Anatolia Region of Turkey, from 1 September 2019 to 30 June 2020. The data of the study were collected using Participant Screening Form, a Personal Information Form, the Fagerstrom Test for Nicotine Dependence, a Smoking Behaviors and Precautions at Home Form, and a Measurement and Follow-up Form. The collected data were analyzed using the SPSS 23.0 package software. ResultsIn the follow-ups after the planned smoking cessation training given to the parents, the carbon monoxide measurements at their homes decreased significantly throughout the four follow-ups, the number of parents who presented to the smoking cessation outpatient clinic increased, and the number of smoking parents decreased (p < 0.05). ConclusionsIt was concluded that the planned education that was given to smoker parents reduced the smoking rates of the parents, lowered the carbon monoxide values measured in their home environments, and thus, it was effective in reducing the passive exposure of their children at the ages of 0 to 5 years to cigarette smoke. Practice implicationsParents who are addicted to cigarettes should be encouraged not to smoke at home, and homes should be included in closed environments where smoking is prohibited.