Smoke, smoking and cessation: The views of children with respiratory illness

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To explore the attitudes of Māori (indigenous New Zealanders) and Pacific children with respiratory illness towards smoking, secondhand smoke (SHS) and smoking cessation. METHODS: Forty-one Māori and Pacific children (aged 6-11 years) in New Zealand (NZ) were interviewed about their attitudes towards smoking, how SHS affects them and their respiratory disease, ideas they have about how to reduce SHS exposure, their fears and concerns about smoking, and experience asking parents to quit smoking. The interviews were transcribed and deductively analysed. RESULTS: The children said that SHS made them feel "bad," "angry," "uncomfortable" and "really sick," making them want to get away from the smoke. They were aware that smoking "is dangerous" and that "you could die from it." Many children had fears for smokers around them. The children reported on rules restricting smoking around children: "You're not allowed smoke in the car where babies are." A number of children reported that adults complied with those rules, but some reported that people still smoked around them. The children had experienced people around them quitting and had an awareness of how difficult it is to quit smoking. The most common reason perceived for quitting was concern for children. A lot of the children thought they could ask parents to quit and other suggestions included hiding people's tobacco, and use of smoke-free pamphlets, or signs. CONCLUSIONS: Even young children from low socioeconomic minority groups are aware of the dangers of smoking and SHS, and hold negative views about smoking. Health promotion messages for parents could have more weight if they convey the concerns voiced by children.