Pediatrician Messages to Parents to Promote Smoking Cessation: It's About the Children

At least 40% of children in the U.S. are estimated to be routinely exposed to secondhand cigarette smoke. Pediatricians are in an excellent position to initiate conversations about the impact of secondhand smoke on children's health and to encourage parents to stop smoking and offer help, but most pediatricians rarely do so.

Researchers conducted a cross-sectional study to determine the preferred smoking cessation messaging from pediatricians, surveying 180 parents who were smokers (66% women). The median age of their children was 5 years. The survey presented 26 messages, which varied by the person or people affected (child, parent, or family); the outcome (general health, respiratory illness, cancer, child becoming a smoker, or financial i…