Parental perceptions towards passive smoking: a cross-sectional survey in Vikarabad town, India

Background: Environmental tobacco smoke is a known human carcinogen and passive smoking has now emerged as a health threat. Home is the major source of exposure to tobacco smoke among children.

Objective: To explore parents’ smoking behaviour and their perceptions towards passive smoking and its effects on their children.

Method: A cross-sectional, household survey was conducted on 179 smoking parents in an Indian town using a semi-structured questionnaire which gathered information about demographic factors and 21 questions assessing their smoking behaviour and perceptions about passive smoking.

Results: Thirty two percent reported that they did not know smoking caused cancer and only 25% strongly believed that if parents smoked, it had a harmful effect on children's health.

Conclusion: Low education, unskilled jobs and a past experience of smoking related health problems have an influence on the way passive smoke and its harmful effects are perceived by smoking parents.