research_brief

Perceived Health Concerns of Child Thirdhand Smoke Exposure and Potential Remediation Strategies Among Nonsmoking Parents of Young Children

Authors

• • E. Melinda Mahabee-Gittens
  • Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center
• • Georg E. Matt
  • San Diego State University
• • Lara Stone
  • Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center
• • Madelyn J. Hill
  • University of Cincinnati
• • Ashley L. Merianos
  • University of Cincinnati

Abstract

We examined nonsmoking parents’ concerns about child thirdhand smoke exposure (THSe) and their likelihood of implementing remediation strategies based on hypothetical handwipe nicotine (HN) levels, a proxy for children’s THSe levels. Parents (N=245) of 0-11-year-old children were told that “low” and “high” HN levels were 10ng/wipe and 200ng/wipe, respectively. Parents reported higher mean concern that THSe would affect their child’s health (M=2.3, SD=1.1) and were more likely to implement THSe remediation strategies (M=2.7, SD=0.7) when presented with high HN levels compared to low HN levels (M=1.5, SD=1.0, pM=2.0, SD=1.0, p

Keywords: children’s exposure, parents, tobacco smoke, smoking, thirdhand smoke, hand wipes

How to Cite: Mahabee-Gittens, E. , Matt, G. , Stone, L. , Hill, M. & Merianos, A. (2024) “Perceived Health Concerns of Child Thirdhand Smoke Exposure and Potential Remediation Strategies Among Nonsmoking Parents of Young Children”, Health Behavior Research. 7(4). doi: https://doi.org/10.4148/2572-1836.1263