Abstract
Objective
In Canada, the home has become the primary locale in which children are exposed to tobacco smoke. Single parents are less likely than two-parent families to ban smoking at home, but the extent to which this relates to economic inequalities across family structures is unclear. Our objective was to estimate the association between household structure (single- vs. non-single-parent family) and smoke-free home rules, accounting for indicators of economic disadvantage.
Methods
Data were available in a telephone survey conducted in 2011–2012 in Québec, Canada, of 567 daily smokers (mean (SD) age 38.3 (8.1); 56.6% female) who lived with children. Poisson regression models with robust variance were used to determine whether single-parent status was independently associated with living in a smoke-free home after accounting for age, sex, language, household size, age of youngest child, neighbourhood material deprivation, socio-economic status and employment status.
Results
Of 122 participants living in a single-parent family, 33 (27%) reported that their home was smoke-free, compared with 250 of 445 participants (56.2%) living in non-single-parent families. Single parents were approximately 40% less likely to live in smoke-free homes than other daily smokers, even after accounting for indicators of economic disadvantage.
Conclusions
Single parents, regardless of income or level of neighbourhood material deprivation, were less likely to report smoke-free home rules. These smokers represent a distinct subgroup that warrants targeted interventions to help them implement such rules by addressing their specific needs against a backdrop of creating more equitable access to the social determinants of health.
Résumé
Objectifs
Au Canada, le domicile est le principal lieu où les enfants sont exposés à la fumée de tabac. Les familles monoparentales sont moins susceptibles que les familles biparentales d’interdire de fumer au domicile, mais le rôle des inégalités économiques pour expliquer ces différences n’est pas documenté. Cette étude a estimé l’association entre la structure familiale (mono- ou biparentale) et les restrictions de fumer au domicile, en tenant compte du niveau de défavorisation économique.
Méthode
Les données proviennent d’un sondage téléphonique réalisé au Québec, Canada, auprès de 567 fumeurs quotidiens (âge moyen = 38,3 ans (EC 8,1); 56,6 % de femmes) habitant avec des enfants. Des modèles de régression Poisson avec variance robuste ont été réalisés pour déterminer si le statut de parent monoparental était indépendamment associé à une interdiction de fumer au domicile en tenant compte de l’âge, du sexe, de la langue, de la taille du ménage, de l’âge du plus jeune enfant, du niveau de défavorisation matérielle du quartier de résidence, du statut socioéconomique et du statut d’emploi.
Résultats
Parmi les 122 participants ayant une structure de famille monoparentale, 33 (27 %) ont rapporté que leur domicile était sans fumée, comparativement à 250 des 445 participants (56,2 %) dont la structure familiale n’est pas monoparentale. Les parents de familles monoparentales avaient environ 40 % moins de chance d’habiter dans un domicile sans fumée que les autres fumeurs quotidiens, et ce, en tenant compte du niveau de défavorisation économique.
Conclusion
Les parents en situation de monoparentalité avaient moins de probabilité de vivre dans un domicile sans fumée, et ce, peu importe leur revenu et le niveau de défavorisation matérielle du quartier de résidence. Ces fumeurs bénéficieraient d’interventions ciblées qui répondent à leur besoins afin de les aider à rendre leur domicile sans fumée, ainsi qu’à un accès plus équitable aux déterminants sociaux de la santé.
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Montreuil, A., Wellman, R.J. & O’Loughlin, J.L. Single-parent status and smoke-free home rules among daily smokers. Can J Public Health 111, 297–304 (2020). https://doi.org/10.17269/s41997-019-00274-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.17269/s41997-019-00274-5