Family Characteristics and Parenting Quality in Relation to at Home Secondhand Smoking Exposure on Infants

Abstract

Secondhand Smoking (SHS) exposure had a great impact on health, especially among a vulnerable grouplike breastfeeding mothers and infants. No previous research was found on the risk of lower parentingquality with the risk of SHS exposure among infants. This research aimed to analyze the prevalence of SHSexposure at home in infants with family characteristics and parenting quality. A cross-sectional study wasconducted in Magelang with 216 households that had an infant as a household member. SHS exposure athome and family characteristics assessed with a questionnaire and parenting quality assessed with HOMESF,divided into emotional support and cognitive stimulation. The prevalence of SHS at home was 81%.Family characteristics related were higher means of sum of children (t= -2.494; p=0.013), shorter birthspacing (t= -3.146; p=0.002), younger age of mother (t= -3.798; p=0.000) and father (t= -3.766; p=0.000), andshorter years of father education (t= -2.933; p=0.004) were significantly related to higher prevalence of SHSexposure at home.and also lower cognitive stimulation (F=2.705- p=0.046). Several family characteristicsand also the quality of parenting identified as factors associated with infant SHS exposure at home. The highprevalence needs attention for intensive health promotion and consistent implementation of smoke-freelegislation to protect infant and breastfeeding mothers from SHS exposure at home.