Advising parents to stop smoking. Opportunities and barriers in pediatric practice
Frankowski, B.L.; Secker-Walker, R.H.
American Journal of Diseases of Children 143(9): 1091-1094
1989
ISSN/ISBN: 0002-922X PMID: 2773887 Document Number: 335379
All pediatricians in Maine [USA] were surveyed by mail to assess their beliefs and attitudes about parental smoking and their current activities concerning advice on smoking cessation. The response rate to three mailings was 86%. Most pediatricians (91%) reported advising parents who smoke to quit and estimated spending an average of almost 5 minutes giving advice on how to quit smoking. Almost all pediatricians (94%) felt moderately or very confident in adressing passive smoking issues. However, only 46% felt moderately or very confident in advising parents how to stop smoking. Important barriers to providing advice on smoking cessation to parents included negative parental expectations and not having enough time. Only 6% of the pediatricians noted lack of reimbursement as a barrier. The majority of respondents (84%) were moderately or very willing to learn brief methods of giving advice o how to stop smoking to parents.