Cigarette Smoking Cessation Programs for Parents and Children's Caregivers: A Call to Children's Hospitals and Pediatric Facilities

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Abstract
The adverse effect of passive exposure to tobacco smoke has gained widespread attention recently. Many studies have documented the problems of secondhand smoke exposure in infants and children. Nine million American children under 5 years of age live at home with one cigarette smoker.1 A number of studies show that infants of parents who smoke at home have a much higher rate of serious respiratory tract illnesses than infants of parents who do not smoke.2,3 Lung function may be impaired in children who have parents who smoke, compared with those whose parents are non-smokers.4 Passive exposure can exacerbate symptoms of children with asthma.5 We were therefore surprised to find no children's hospitals offering formal cigarette smoking cessation programs for parents and children's caregivers. We recently surveyed the directors and staff of respiratory care departments at most of the member hospitals of the Child Health Corporation of