Note: this is a past research project that is now complete.
Aim
The Fresh Air for The Kids (FAFTK) project aimed to increase the
capacity of child health professionals at the Royal Children's
Hospital to provide a brief opportunistic smoking cessation message
to parents who smoke. The broad aim is to promote smoke-free home
environments for children.
Project Description
FAFTK comprised five phases with a strong research focus.
- Phase 1: documenting current practice.
955 patients' case notes were reviewed and 743 parents were
telephoned to assess the documentation of parents' smoking status
and whether cessation advice was given.
- Phase 2: evaluation of parent attitudes.
153 interviews were conducted with parents identify the
range opinions about smoking cessation advice delivered by child
health professionals in a child health setting.
- Phase 3: evaluation of health professional
attitudes.
Structured interviews were conducted with a variety of staff to
identify opinions and potential barriers encountered when
delivering smoking cessation advice to parents. 442 staff were
subsequently surveyed and the main barriers reported were:
despondency that they would make no difference to parent smoking,
concern about the parents' beliefs and reactions, and belief that
it is not their role
The findings from phases one to three were used to inform the
development and implementation of the intervention conducted in
Phase 4.
- Phase 4: implementation of a multi-faceted
intervention.
The intervention included education programs for health
professionals; education tools (video & pamphlet); internet
resources; training for ward nurses; changes to patient admissions;
development of a new smoking policy.
- Phase 5: evaluation of change in health professional
opportunistic smoking cessation interventions.
From case note reviews and surveys conducted with parent smokers43%
of parents recalled being asked about smoking and 31% recalled
receiving an anti-smoking message: a five fold improvement.
An evaluation conducted 12 months after the implementation
process indicated that the increase in delivery of smoking
cessation messages was sustained. Forty-eight percent of parent
smokers recalled being asked and 17% received a quit message.
Publications
Roseby, R., Strong, K., Pyper, N., Cerritelli, B., Borland, R., & Sawyer, S. (2004). Fresh Air For The Kids–Improving The Capacity Of Child Health Professionals To Address Parent Smoking. Respirology, 9, A10. | Link
Contact
Susan Sawyer
susan.sawyer@rch.org.au