Does a Smoke-Free Home for a Parent Who Smokes Mean a Smoke-Free Car in the Era of Vaping? :

Second-hand smoke exposure is never a good thing for anyone—and certainly not for infants, children, and teens. Although we often stress the dangers of second-hand smoke (SHS) during health-maintenance visits, it is easy to forget about the emergence of vaping. To gain a better understanding of just what parents who smoke do in terms of keeping their homes or cars tobacco smoke or e-cigarette vapor-free, Drehmer et al. (10.1542/peds.2018-3249) looked at parents who smoke tobacco, vape or do both (dual users) in 5 pediatric practices and had parents report whether their homes or cars were kept smoke-free.  The authors discover lots of interesting findings that are well worth linking to this article to learn more. For example, if parents are dual users, their home may be tobacco-smoke free but less likely to be vape-free.  In fact dual users were less likely than cigarette-only users to have smoke-free or vape-free cars.  The authors also determined factors that are more likely to be associated with not having a smoke-free or vape-free home or car including smoking >10 conventional cigarettes a day, using e-cigarettes, or having a youngest child >10 years of age.  One of the saddest findings in this important study is how low the rate was for parents to note they had received advice during health maintenance visits to keep their homes and cars smoke- and vape-free.  Do you counsel your patients’ caregivers on the dangers of SHS from cigarettes and e-cigarettes in homes or cars?  Do you think your counseling works?  We would be interested in your thoughts on this study and what you might do differently as a result. Consider also letting us know what is working in your practice or community to curb SHS exposure by a comment to our website where you can link to this article, or by sharing your thoughts on our Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram pages.