Abstract
Objectives: Second-hand smoke (SHS) can attain high concentrations in cars. To protect children’s health, nine Canadian provinces have enacted legislation prohibiting smoking in privately owned vehicles when children are present; Quebec is the only province with no such legislation. The objective of this study was to estimate the proportion of smokers in Quebec who smoke while travelling in a private vehicle in which children are present, and to compare the characteristics of smokers who do and do not smoke in cars.
METHODS: In 2011–12, 754 daily smokers who recently travelled in a car with children completed a telephone survey in which they reported how frequently they smoked in a car, if there were smoking restrictions, and perceptions about the effectiveness of legislation prohibiting smoking in cars when children are present.
RESULTS: Twenty-three percent of daily smokers smoked at least occasionally in their car when children were present. This proportion was higher among smokers who knew that there was no legislation in Quebec prohibiting smoking in cars, compared to smokers who believed that such legislation was already in effect (32% vs. 12%). Smokers with a university degree and those who reported that smoking was prohibited at home were less likely to expose children to SHS in cars. Most daily smokers (75%) believed that legislation would be effective.
DISCUSSION: The results of this study suggest that legislation prohibiting smoking in cars is necessary to protect children from SHS, that such legislation would be effective, and that it may be relatively easy to implement.
Key Words: Canada, child, smoke-free policy, tobacco smoke pollution
Mots Clés: Canada, enfant, interdiction de fumer, fumée de tabac
Résumé
OBJECTIF: La concentration de fumée de tabac peut atteindre des niveaux élevés dans une voiture. Afin de protéger la santé des enfants, neuf provinces canadiennes ont adopté une mesure législative interdisant de fumer dans les véhicules privés lorsque des enfants y prennent place. Le Québec est la seule province canadienne à ne pas avoir légiféré en ce sens. L’objectif de cette étude était d’estimer la proportion de fumeurs qui fument en voiture en présence d’enfants au Québec, et de comparer les caractéristiques des fumeurs qui fument à ceux qui ne fument pas en voiture.
MÉthode: En 2011–2012, 754 fumeurs quotidiens ayant voyagé récemment en voiture en présence d’enfants ont participé à une entrevue téléphonique. Les participants ont été interrogés sur la fréquence à laquelle ils fumaient dans la voiture, sur la présence de restrictions à l’usage de tabac dans la voiture, et sur leur perception de l’efficacité d’une loi qui interdirait de fumer dans une voiture en présence d’enfants.
RÉSULTATS: Vingt-trois pour cent des fumeurs quotidiens fumaient régulièrement ou à l’occasion en voiture en présence d’enfants. Cette proportion était plus élevée parmi les fumeurs qui savaient qu’aucune loi québécoise n’interdisait de fumer en voiture, comparativement aux fumeurs qui croyaient à tort qu’une telle loi était en vigueur (32 % c. 12 %). Les fumeurs diplômés universitaires et ceux qui rapportaient qu’il était interdit de fumer à l’intérieur de leur domicile étaient moins susceptibles d’exposer des enfants à la fumée de tabac en voiture. La majorité des fumeurs quotidiens interrogés (75 %) croyaient qu’une telle loi serait efficace pour réduire l’exposition des jeunes à la fumée de tabac.
DISCUSSION: Les résultats de cette étude indiquent qu’une loi interdisant de fumer dans les voitures est nécessaire pour protéger la santé des enfants, qu’une telle loi serait efficace et que son implantation au Québec se ferait sans opposition.
Footnotes
Sources of support: This project was funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and the Institut national de santé publique du Québec through a financial contribution from the Québec Ministry of Health and Social Services. J. McGrath holds a CIHR New Investigator Award and Operating Grant (MOP97879). J. O’Loughlin holds a Canada Research Chair in the Early Determinants of Adult Chronic Disease. Acknowledgements: The authors thank Erika Dugas for assistance with preparation of the manuscript and Yan Kestens for his contribution to the research protocol submitted for funding. Conflict of Interest: None to declare.
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