In the Health Sponsorship Council’s (HSC’s) 2008 Health and Lifestyles Survey (HLS), respondents were asked a series of questions to assess their perceptions of parental influence on children’s smoking. Smokers were also asked if they worried about influencing children to smoke and whether setting an example for children had led them to think about quitting or try quitting. Those who had quit smoking recently were asked whether setting an example for children had led them to stay quit.
Methodology
All respondents (n=1,608) were asked for their levels of agreement (‘strongly agree’, ‘agree’, ‘neither agree nor disagree’, ‘disagree’, or ‘strongly disagree’) with the following two statements:
- Children who see their parents smoke are more likely to become smokers themselves.
- It is important that parents and caregivers tell their children that they don’t want them to smoke.
Response categories were aggregated and proportions were calculated. Responses were compared by a range of socio-economic and demographic characteristics and statistically significant differences (p < .05) are reported:
- Parent/caregiver status (Parent/caregiver etc parent/caregiver etc of 0 to 16 years old, compared with non- parent/caregiver etc of 0 to 16 years old)
- Ethnicity (Māori, compared with non-Māori).
- Neighbourhood deprivation status (high - NZDep 8-10 and medium - NZDep 4-7, compared with low - NZDep 1-3).
- Age (25 to 34 years, 35 to 54 years, and • 55 + years, compared with 15 to 24 years).
- Gender.
Smokers and recent quitters were asked additional questions:
- Current smokers (those who smoked at least monthly) were asked in the last month, how often, if at all, did you worry that your smoking will influence children around you to start or continue smoking (‘never’, ‘rarely’, ‘sometimes’, ‘often’ or ‘very much’)?
- Smokers (those who reported any level of smoking) who had not tried to quit smoking in the past 12 months were asked in the past six months, to what extent has ‘setting an example for children’ led you to think about quitting (‘not at all’, ‘somewhat’, ‘very much’)?
- Smokers (those who reported any level of smoking) who had tried to quit smoking in the past 12 months were asked to what extent did ‘setting an example for children’ lead you to try quitting (‘not at all’, ‘somewhat’, ‘very much’)?
- Recent quitters (those who have quit smoking in the last 12 months) were asked to what extent did ‘setting an example for children’ lead you to stay quit (‘not at all’, ‘somewhat’, ‘very much’)?
For these additional questions, proportions were calculated. The last two questions measuring behavioural responses around quitting were combined.
Key Results
- Almost all (92%) respondents agreed that it is important for parents and caregivers to tell their children they don’t want them to smoke.
- Three in five (61%) respondents agreed that children who see their parents smoke are more likely to take up smoking.
- Over one-half (54%) of current smokers reported that, in the last month, they worried that their smoking around children will influence them to start or continue smoking.
- Over one-half (57%) of current smokers reported that, in the last six months, setting an example to children has led them to think about quitting smoking.
- Two-thirds (68%) of current smokers and recent quitters reported that setting an example to children has led them to quit smoking or to stay quit.