Smoking half measures useless

Opening a window does not reduce tobacco exposure

Opening a window or wafting away smoke do nothing to reduce children's exposure to tobacco, researchers have found.

Only banning smoking inside the home altogether has any significant effect.

Public health advocates say parents need to be told they can protect their children from the effects of passive smoking, even if they cannot quit altogether.

Researchers from the University of Warwick interviewed parents from 314 households who smoked and had young children.

They were asked what they knew about the effect of tobacco exposure on a child's health, and what they did to minimise that exposure.

The problem is the big gulf between parents' knowledge and actually translating that into behaviour Action on Smoking and Health

Options included opening a window, not smoking in the same room as a child and using a fan or an air freshener.

The scientists then measured levels of cotinine, a by-product of nicotine, in the urine of the children.

'No effect'

Over 80% of parents believed that environmental tobacco smoke is harmful and 90% believed that infants can be protected from it in the home.

Only one in 10 parents did not know any ways to reduce exposure.

More than half tried to reduce exposure in more than one way.

But less than a fifth had banned smoking in the home altogether. This was the only action linked to reduced exposure to tobacco smoke and a significant reduction of cotinine levels.

But less strict measures had no effect, the researchers said, adding that their findings need to be verified in larger studies.

'Encouraging'

Nick Spencer, professor of child health at the University of Warwick, told BBC News Online: "We were pleasantly surprised that a large proportion of parents were saying that they did take measures to reduce their children's exposure to tobacco smoke.

"But what we were concerned about was the extent to which was the examination of less strict measures, which we're really not sure had an effect.

"It was no different to doing nothing at all."

Professor Spencer said the research showed parents could protect children from the effects of tobacco smoke without giving up cigarettes altogether.

Amanda Sandford, of the campaign group Action on Smoking and Health, said: "We're very encouraged that there was a high awareness of the health risks of passive smoking.

"But the problem is the big gulf between parents' knowledge and actually translating that into behaviour.

"What public health advocates really have to do is increase the level of awareness amongst people, particularly parents, of the dangers of passive smoking."

The research is published in the British Medical Journal.