<< Epidemiology and Intervention Research Passive smoking remains widespread in China, with women and children constituting the largest exposed population, given the predominance of smoking among men. For both women and children, the home is a major locus of exposure and one not subject to intervention through regulation. The 1996 National Smoking Prevalence Survey in China and a follow-up survey in 1998 found that women and children have substantial exposure to secondhand smoke (SHS). In the 1996 survey, 54 percent of adult nonsmokers reported exposure to SHS with the home reported as the locus of exposure for 71 percent of participants. Passive smoking in the home has well documented adverse effects on the health of women and children, including detrimental effects on the respiratory health of children and increased risk for lung cancer in nonsmoking women married to smokers. There has, however, been only limited research to date on the effectiveness of interventions to reduce exposure to SHS in the home, and the research that has been done has been conducted primarily in the developed world. The overall objective of this project is to develop, test and disseminate an intervention to reduce exposure of women and children at home to SHS. This objective will be met through a collaborative research project carried out by the Chinese Academy of Preventive Medicine in partnership with the All China Women’s Federation. - To develop a community-based SHS intervention model.
- To assess the effectiveness of the model in an intervention trial.
- To disseminate the intervention model through the All China Women’s Federation.
Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
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