Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #115083

Carla J. Berg, M A¹, Edward F. Ellerbeck, MD, MPH², Niaman Nazir, MBBS, MPH³, Laura M. Mussulman, M A³, and Jasjit S. Ahluwalia, MD, MPH, MS¹. (1) Department of Preventive Medicine, University of Kansas Medical Center, 3901 Rainbow Boulevard, Kansas City, KS 66160, 913-588-3788, cberg@kumc.edu, (2) Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, University of Kansas Medical Center, 3901 Rainbow Blvd., Kansas City, KS 66160-7313, (3) Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, University of Kansas School of Medicine, 3901 Rainbow Boulevard, Mail Stop 1008, Kansas City, KS 66160

Prevalence of smoking is disproportionate in selected rural communities. Implementation of home smoking restriction (HSR) in these communities would reduce health risks for others dwelling in these household and may be an important initial step in smoking cessation. The purpose of the present study was to identify factors associated with HSR among rural smokers. Smokers in primary care practices in rural Kansas smoking >= 10 cpd were recruited to complete a telephone-based survey to assess their smoking characteristics. We examined bivariate relationships between HSR and demographic and smoking characteristics. Of the 444 respondents (59.4% of those eligible for the study), 25.5% reported having implemented complete HSR. HSR was reported more often (p < 0.05) by those smoking < 20 cpd (40.4%), those with a non-smoking partner (36.1%), those with children under age 18 (32.5%), those with children under age 6 (46.0%), and those earning > $40,000 annually (32.9%). HSR was less common (p < 0.05) among the unemployed (17.9%), those with a smoking partner (20.5%), and those with chronic lung disease (19.1%). HSR was related to lower nicotine dependency (p < 0.05). Gender and marital status were unrelated to HSR. Although most smokers in rural communities smoke in their homes, certain characteristics relate to higher levels of HSR. Because more people with a chronic lung disease and higher levels of smoking lack HSR, physicians may be able to effect HSR by capitalizing on factors associated with it, such as aligning efforts with non-smoking adults and children in the home.

Learning Objectives:

• Describe characteristics of rural Kansas smokers.
• Describe characteristics associated with implementation of home smoking restriction among rural smokers.
• Consider ways in which physicians can use these characteristics to effect home smoking restriction.

Keywords: Smoking, Smoking Cessation

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.