PW01-212 - Correlates Of Home Smoking Restrictions Among Lithuanian Adult Smokers

Abstract

The aim of study was to estimate the relationships among smoking/quitting behavior, having a smoke-free home and a number of social variables, including perceived family pressure to quit, the presence of adult non-smokers and children in the household, and belief in the harmfulness of secondhand smoke. Methods: The study analyses data from Lithuanian adult population health behavior surveys, performed in period of 1994-2008. For every survey the national random sample of 3000 inhabitants aged 20-64 was taken from the National Population Register. The study material was collected through mailed questionnaires covering smoking habits, sociodemographic characteristics. Results: 65 % of current smokers reported living in a home with a total smoking ban, 35% reported having no restrictions on smoking in the home. Report of a recent quit attempt and intention to quit were associated with family preference that the smoker not smoke. Smoke-free homes appear to prolong time to relapse following cessation. Male smokers were more likely than females to report smoke-free homes, and such reports decreased with age. Smokers were nearly 5 times more likely to report smoke-free homes if they lived with a non-smoking adult and child compared to when there was no child or adult nonsmoker in the household, and over 4 times more likely to report a smoke-free home if they believed in the harmfulness of secondhand smoke. Conclusions: Social influences, especially at the family level, motivate smokers to modify smokers´ behavior in ways that would help them quit and stay quit.