Posted on 04/30/2006 8:31:10 AM PDT by SheLion
While a growing majority of Americans favor smoking restrictions in public places, many adults still expose their children to significant health risks by puffing tobacco at home, a Mississippi State University researcher reports.
In a scientific paper presented at the annual meeting of the Pediatric Academic Societies in San Francisco, Robert McMillen, MD cites changes in adult attitudes and behaviors over the past six years regarding secondhand smoke.
McMillen’s report, “Changes from 2000 to 2005 in U.S. Adult Attitudes and Practices Regarding Children’s Exposure to Secondhand Smoke,” stems from his comprehensive 2000 National Social Climate Survey of Tobacco Control.
“The vast majority of adults in 2005—97 percent-- recognized the dangers of exposure to secondhand smoke from parental smoking ,” McMillen found. “Yet, a tenth of households—10 percent—allow indoor smoking in the presence of children.”
The 2000 survey was funded by MSU’s Social Science Research Center, where McMillen is an associate research professor and leading authority on secondhand smoke; the Center for Child Health Research of the American Academy of Pediatrics; and the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station.
A newly appointed member of the Scientific Advisory Committee for the AAP’s Julius B. Richmond Center of Excellence for Children in Chicago, McMillen said data in his latest report “have a number of implications for clinical and community interventions.
“While they demonstrate significant improvement in many indicators of adult attitudes and practices, homes serve as settings for intense secondhand smoke exposure, and many public settings that children frequent still are not smoke free,” he determined.
“A growing majority of adults in the U.S. favor restrictions on smoking in public settings, suggesting that many communities across the nation have the public support for much broader public smoking restriction policies,” he concluded.
McMillen and his research team conducted six annual cross-sectional household telephone surveys in the summers of 2000-2005, while numerous state and national tobacco control programs were being implemented. The surveys included national probability samples of adults from all 50 states, and had a response rate of 75-87 percent.
Support for smoking bans increased from:
--71 to 80 percent in shopping malls;
--61 to 71 percent in restaurants;
--77 to 82 percent in fast-food restaurants;
--25 to 39 percent in outdoor parks; and
--78 to 82 percent in indoor sporting events.
Regarding household practices, support increased from 69 to 77 percent for smoke-free homes; and from 79 to 90 percent for smoking bans when children are present.
Community practices that included smoking bans increased from:
--75 to 83 percent in indoor shopping malls;
--68 to 80 percent in convenience stores;
--52 to 72 percent in fast-food restaurants;
--25 to 45 percent in restaurants; and
--8 to 15 percent in outdoor parks.
Mississippi State’s Social Science Research Center, headed by Art Cosby, conducts basic and applied research encompassing social and economic development, families and children, alcohol safety, substance abuse, and a range of other issues.
Here they come! Once the government gets it's big, fat foot in the door, there'll be no end to it all.
Sugar tax? The sugarplum fairy will become the next evildoer.
Life was so much easier 10-15 years ago. I was born into a two smoker home. I had no health problems.
Our daughter was born into a two smoker home. She was a big baby at birth and healthy. And no health problems all her life living here with my hubby and me.
She is now married with a babe of her own. She and her hubby smoke, but not around the grandson. They go outside to smoke, and never smoke in their cars when he is in the car as well.
But, they have learned to do this over the past 4 years. They listened to Nanny government. And they don't want anyone coming to threaten to take their son away just because they smoke.
The world has gone nuts.
Just goes to show that government can't get their acts together to handle real problems, so then ban smoking.
Indeed.
My point was only to say that I respect a person's or parents choice of keeping their offspring away from smoke. When in my home, they are guests and I treat them as such, whether their beliefs are unfounded or not. Not a big sacrifice on our part, since they get fed up with my dogs and woodstove fast enough....hahahahaha!
FMCDH(BITS)
Forcing anyone to breath unnecessary smoke is abuse. Doing it to your own kids is the worse kind of abuse. At least adults can opt out, children have no such option.
You can bet your sweet bippy that the anti-smokers who drink may regret all their crap about the smoking when the nannys come after them for drinking in their home with children or having guns.
Typical anti-smoker.....unable to think for himself and thus must trot out the tired propaganda of his handlers.
I feel so sorry for you people can't even keep on topic........pathetic.
That's pretty funny.....seeing the number of kid's killed in auto accidents...and I don't see any of those three buckled up.
Regarding household practices, support increased from 69 to 77 percent for smoke-free homes; and from 79 to 90 percent for smoking bans when children are present.
Community practices that included smoking bans increased from:
--75 to 83 percent in indoor shopping malls;
--68 to 80 percent in convenience stores;
--52 to 72 percent in fast-food restaurants;
--25 to 45 percent in restaurants; and
--8 to 15 percent in outdoor parks.
When are you folks going to stop and realize the definition of insanity and learn that you need to change your approach on this issue and face the reality head on?
Yes. And instead of worrying about our borders, guess what takes priority? To Ban Smoking! heh!
Stupid, aren't they!
Your point is? How come of the millions of us who grew up in the '70s, exposed to smoking at home, in cars, stores, at school never developed cancer from it? How come now that nazi pigs like yourself have forbidden any smoking in public places, that the incidence of childhood asthma has INCREASED? What if someone came to your house or car or business and found something they "don't like" you to do, and used the force of government to make you obey? While you're squealing with delight over other people's freedoms being taken away, remember that someday the same thing could happen to something you like.
LOL! I know what you mean!
And when they all came home for Thanksgiving, I didn't smoke around my grandson, either. No problem. I just hate the way the anti's have swayed the general public into believing that second hand smoke is such a killer. We should have been dead YEARS ago!
There is a single line there with nothing to back it up.
Continue to support the destruction of private property rights at your own peril.
BTW - There is no support for smoking bans on private property other than those imposed by the owner. These "surveys" are fully funded by those with an agenda..........and you know it, you just choose to parrot the nonsense.
Hahaaaa I wait after I post that picture to see how long it will take someone to notice. Maine's Board of Health published that picture. How asinine. Kids in an open convertible, back seat and no seat belts. LOL
But by Gawd, DAD AIN'T SMOKING! 
Should you knowingly expose your child to a potential danger when its unnecessary?
Now you are off topic. Whether the surveys are skewed or not, they still show a trend away from supporting smokers which is consistent with the legislative trends.
Don't change.Stay in denial. I really don't care.
I'm not changing the topic, you are the one that brought up the numbers - I didn't. It does matter that the numbers are skewed, because they show NOTHING at all.
I'm not the one in denial - you and your ilk are the ones in denial about the corruption of the anti-smoker movement and the blindness to the brainwashing you have accepted brom the movement. You can't see the forest for the trees - you don't like smoking so will believe any crapola spewed by them - no matter how utterly ridiculous and fallacious.
As I said, I feel sorry for people unable to think for themselves.
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