Barriers and Motivators for Smoking Cessation Among Caregivers of Inpatient Pediatric Patients.

OBJECTIVE: To examine perceived barriers and motivators for smoking cessation among caregivers of inpatient pediatric patients. METHODS: From December 2014 to June 2018, trained tobacco counselors conducted motivational interviews (MI) with caregivers of inpatient pediatric patients ages 0 to 17, who participated in the intervention arm of a smoking cessation randomized controlled trial. By using NVivo 12 software, the first MI session with each caregiver was evaluated by 3 individuals to identify and categorize motivators and barriers; agreement among reviewers was reached. Barriers and motivators were examined in bivariable analysis with χ2 or Fisher's exact tests for categorical factors and with t-tests for continuous factors by using SAS 9.4 software. RESULTS: Of the 124 caregivers randomized to intervention, 99 subjects (80%) completed ≥1 MI sessions. The most prevalent barriers to cessation were stress (57%) and social influence (37%).The most prevalent motivators were desire to lead a healthy life (54%) and desire to improve the child and family's well-being (47%). Older parent age was associated with wanting to lead a healthy life, and younger child age was associated with wanting to improve the child and family's well-being. CONCLUSIONS: Understanding barriers and motivators to cessation among caregivers is crucial in reducing pediatric secondhand smoke (SHS). When developing caregiver cessation programs in an inpatient clinic encounter, caregiver barriers and motivators may help in targeting education and strategies to help counselors and clinicians better identify and support caregivers who wish to quit smoking.

Intervening With Smoking Parents of Inpatients to Reduce Exposure: The INSPIRE Randomized Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND: Hospitalized children have high rates of tobacco smoke exposure; parents who smoke may be receptive to interventions during their child's hospitalization. OBJECTIVE: We tested the efficacy of a smoking cessation intervention for parents of hospitalized children. METHODS: We conducted a randomized, single-blind clinical trial from 12/14-5/18 at the Children's Hospital Colorado. Hospitalized children who had a parent who smoked tobacco were eligible. INTERVENTION: Intervention participants received motivational interviewing sessions, 2 weeks of nicotine replacement therapy; both groups received referral to the Quitline Consenting parents completed a questionnaire; urine was collected from the child for measurement of cotinine. Our primary outcome was: 1) increase in reporting "no one is allowed to smoke anywhere" in the home (smoke-free home rule). Additional outcomes included: 2) change in child's cotinine from baseline to 1 year, and 3) parental quitting at 1 year. Data were analyzed using Chi-square and t tests for bivariable data, and multivariable logistic and linear regression. RESULTS: Of 1641 eligible families approached, 252 were randomized (15%); 149 families had follow-up data at 12 months (59%). In the adjusted analysis, there was no difference between the groups in smoke free home rules, or child cotinine level; in an intention-to-treat analysis, 15% in the intervention group versus 8% of controls reported quit (p=0.07). CONCLUSIONS: A smoking cessation intervention can be delivered to parents of hospitalized children. While hospitalization provides an opportunity to help parents quit smoking, more efficient and effective engagement strategies are needed to optimize tobacco control success.

Tobacco Smoke Exposure Reduction Strategies-Do They Work?

OBJECTIVE: Many children experience tobacco smoke exposure (TSE) and parents may take preventive measures to reduce TSE. The study goal is to assess if these strategies are associated with lower cotinine values, an objective biological measure of TSE. METHODS: Families admitted to Children's Hospital Colorado from 2014 to 2018 who screened positive for TSE were invited to participate in a tobacco smoking cessation/reduction program. Caregivers were consented and asked about demographics, beliefs around smoking, and strategies to reduce TSE. Child urine samples were collected, tested for cotinine levels, and analyzed using geometric means. Bivariable comparisons and multivariable linear regression were completed using SAS v9.4 (SAS Institute, Cary, NC). RESULTS: Two hundred thirteen children (81.4%) are included in this analysis. The median ages of children and parents were 4 and 32 years respectively. Fifty-seven percent of children were male, 36% were Hispanic, and 55% were white. Fifty-six percent of parents had at least some college education and 69% had an annual income less than $50K. The median daily cigarettes smoked per day were 10. Eighty-eight percent reported using at least 1 type of protective measure to prevent TSE and 90% believed they protect other household members from TSE. None of the strategies had a significant relationship with lower cotinine levels on bivariable or multivariable analyses. CONCLUSIONS: Parental strategies to decrease TSE did not result in lower cotinine levels. Many measures are not evidence-based and do not protect children. Parent's clothing and homes may create a reservoir for nicotine. Education should focus on exposure elimination and cessation rather than protective measures.

Smoking Behaviors Among Tobacco-Using Parents of Hospitalized Children and Association With Child Cotinine Level.

OBJECTIVES: Understanding patterns of parental tobacco use and their association with child exposure can help us target interventions more appropriately. We aimed to examine the association between parental smoking practices and cotinine levels of hospitalized children. METHODS: This is a secondary analysis of data collected from parents of hospitalized children, recruited for a cessation intervention randomized controlled trial. Smoking parents were identified by using a medical record screening question. Parent-reported demographics and smoking habits were compared to child urine cotinine by using geometric means and log-transformed cotinine levels in multivariable linear regression analyses. RESULTS: A total of 213 patients had complete baseline parent-interview and urine cotinine data. The median age was 4 (interquartile range: 1-9); 57% were boys; 56% were white, 12% were Black, and 23% were multiracial; 36% identified as Hispanic. Most families (54%) had 1 smoker in the home; 36% had 2, and 9% had ≥3. Many (77%) reported having a ban on smoking in the home, and 86% reported smoking only outside. The geometric mean cotinine level of the cohort was 0.98 ng/mL. Higher cotinine levels were associated with more smokers in the home (ratio of 2.99) and smoking inside the house (ratio of 4.11). CONCLUSIONS: Having more smokers in the home and parents who smoke inside are associated with increased smoke exposure; however, even children whose families who smoke only outside the home have significant levels of cotinine, a marker for toxin exposure.

Smoke Exposure, Cytokine Levels, and Asthma Visits in Children Hospitalized for Bronchiolitis.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: To determine if cigarette smoke exposure, marijuana smoke exposure, or cytokine levels at admission to the hospital for bronchiolitis are associated with follow-up visits for asthma. METHODS: We enrolled a cohort of children aged 31 days to 2 years who were hospitalized with bronchiolitis from January 2013 to April 2014. Data included the results of a baseline survey about children's health and demographics, nasal wash samples, the results of a 6-month postdischarge follow-up survey, and a chart review. Nasal wash samples were tested for interleukin (IL)-6, IL-13, and tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α); values were categorized for analysis. χ2, Fisher's exact, and Wilcoxon rank tests were done to test bivariable differences; all analyses were done using SAS. RESULTS: We approached 180 families for enrollment; 99 consented to participate, and 74% of these completed follow-up surveys. Half of those with high levels of IL-13 had follow-up visits for asthma, whereas only 4.2% of those with low levels had follow-up visits for asthma (P = .02). Marijuana exposure was reported for 12.5% (n = 7) of study participants. There was a significant association between marijuana exposure and TNF-α levels (P = .03). CONCLUSIONS: Our study revealed an association between IL-13 and follow-up visits for asthma in children who were hospitalized with bronchiolitis. We found an association between family-reported marijuana smoke exposure and detectable but lower levels of TNF-α. Further research is needed to study these relationships.

Marijuana and Tobacco Coexposure in Hospitalized Children.

BACKGROUND: The impact of secondhand marijuana smoke exposure on children is unknown. New methods allow for the detection of marijuana smoke exposure in children. METHODS: We studied children who were hospitalized in Colorado and had a parent participating in a smoking cessation study; all children had urine samples remaining from the original study as well as consent for future research. Parents completed a survey and urine samples were analyzed for cotinine and marijuana metabolites, including 11-hydroxy-Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (COOH-THC), by using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. RESULTS: The median age of the children was 6.0 years (range 0-17 years); 57% were boys. Half (55%) were white, 12% were African American, and 33% were of another race; 39% identified as Hispanic. Approximately 46% had detectable COOH-THC, and 11% had detectable THC. Of those with detectable THC, 3 were teenagers, and 6 were <8 years of age. There were no significant differences in urinary COOH-THC concentrations by age, sex, race and/or ethnicity, or socioeconomic status. Children with positive results for COOH-THC were more likely to have parents who use marijuana daily, smoke marijuana versus other forms of use, use daily in the home, and smoke marijuana in another room if the children are around compared with smoking outside. CONCLUSIONS: Approximately half of the children who qualified for our study had biological evidence of exposure to marijuana. Researchers in studies such as this provide valuable data on secondhand exposure to children from parents using tobacco and marijuana and can inform public health policies to reduce harm.

Perceptions of Parental Tobacco Dependence Treatment Among a Children's Hospital Staff.

OBJECTIVES: To assess employee support for and knowledge of smoking cessation programs for patients' parents and staff and employees' level of comfort discussing smoking with patients and their families before and during a hospital-wide study of a tobacco cessation and/or exposure reduction program for inpatients' parents who smoke. METHODS: Clinical staff were invited to complete online surveys at the beginning of and 19 months into a randomized controlled trial to test the efficacy of an inpatient tobacco cessation and exposure reduction program for parents of hospitalized children. The program included educating pediatric inpatient clinical staff about available resources, such as the Colorado QuitLine, and smoking cessation interventions for the parents of hospitalized children. Clinical staff were recruited via e-mail listservs, a weekly e-mail newsletter, and posted flyers. Baseline and midstudy results were compared, and χ2 tests were performed. RESULTS: At the baseline, 192 clinical staff responded; 235 responded midstudy. At the baseline and midstudy, at least 90% of the respondents believed that the hospital should support parents in quitting smoking, although the support for free nicotine replacement therapy was low (27% at the baseline to 35% at midstudy). One-fifth of the respondents were uncomfortable discussing smoking; this proportion decreased after educational interventions. Knowledge about hospital cessation resources had also increased at midstudy. CONCLUSIONS: There was strong support for helping parents and staff quit smoking. Comfort among clinical staff in addressing tobacco dependence in patients and families and awareness of cessation resources increased over the course of the study.