[Maternal tobacco consumption can be reduced by simple intervention of the paediatrician]

Abstract

Background: Exposure to environmental tobacco smoke at home increases the risk for numerous diseases in childhood. In this study we asked if maternal tobacco consumption can be reduced by a written advice of the paediatrician.

Patients and methods: In a paediatrician's practice we recruited 40 mothers who smoked ten or more cigarettes per day according to their own statement. The paediatrician's intervention consisted in a short written advice to reduce tobacco consumption. At the beginning of the study and six weeks later we obtained urine samples of the mothers in order to measure the concentrations of the nicotine metabolite cotinine. A subgroup of the study population was informed about the initial concentration of cotinine, the other subgroup was not informed.

Main results: Following the written advice of the paediatrician mothers reduced their consumption of tobacco products according to their own information as well as according to the concentrations of cotinine. Confronting mothers with their initial concentrations of cotinine was not found to be an additional factor reducing tobacco consumption.

Conclusions: Maternal consumption of tobacco products can be reduced significantly by an advice of the paediatrician at least for a short time.