The 13th World Conference on Tobacco OR Health

Objective: Secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure has negative health consequences for both children and adults that disproportionately affect the American Indian population. Little is known about the SHS exposure attitudes and practices among American Indians. This presentation will describe the SHS exposure and efforts to protect children from SHS as reported by a sample of urban American Indian adults.

Methods: In-person interviews were conducted with 300 urban American Indian adults in Minneapolis-St. Paul in 2005. The age by gender distribution mirrors the statewide distribution of American Indians in the 2000 Census. Chi-square analyses were conducted to test for significance at p-values < 0.05. The survey is part of a participatory research plan developed by the American Indian Community Tobacco Project.

Results: Less than half of the adults have asked someone to not smoke around them, but are much more likely to ask others not to smoke around children, especially if they live with a young child (94% with a child < 2 years; 84% with children < 6 years). Only 48% reported they live in a smoke-free home. This is more likely if the participant is not a current smoker (71%), is female (54%) or if there is a child in the home (54%).

American Indians in this sample have made efforts to protect children from SHS by asking others not to smoke around young children but many do not have smoke-free homes. Future efforts should stress the importance of and effective strategies to reduce SHS exposure among all children and adults.