Educating Caregivers Of Children With High Risk Asthma About Smoke Exposure In The Environment

Main Category: Respiratory / Asthma
Also Included In: Smoking / Quit Smoking;  Public Health;  Caregivers / Homecare
Article Date: 02 Mar 2011 - 4:00 PDT


Children who have a high risk of asthma exacerbations may benefit from caregiver education about environmental tobacco smoke, shows a new study.

Researchers from the Palo Alto Medical Foundation Research Institute in California followed 352 children with asthma who had significant exposure to smoke as they received the Lowering Environmental Tobacco Smoke (LET'S) intervention (N=178) or usual care (N=174). The LET'S intervention included three in-person counseling sessions and three follow-up phone calls for caregivers, in addition to feedback regarding a child's urine cotinine level, a biomarker of tobacco exposure, at each in-person session.

Overall, the LET'S intervention was not associated with significant reduction in tobacco smoke exposure or health-care utilization; however, the intervention appeared to reduce smoke exposure in children at high risk for asthma exacerbations.

This article is published in the March issue of Chest, the peer-reviewed journal of the American College of Chest Physicians: Chest 2011; 139(3):581-590.

Source:
Jennifer Stawarz
American College of Chest Physicians

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