Family Characteristics and Parenting Quality in Relation to at Home Secondhand Smoking Exposure on Infants

Abstract

Secondhand Smoking (SHS) exposure had a great impact on health, especially among a vulnerable group
like breastfeeding mothers and infants. No previous research was found on the risk of lower parenting
quality with the risk of SHS exposure among infants. This research aimed to analyze the prevalence of SHS
exposure at home in infants with family characteristics and parenting quality. A cross-sectional study was
conducted in Magelang with 216 households that had an infant as a household member. SHS exposure at
home and family characteristics assessed with a questionnaire and parenting quality assessed with HOMESF,
divided into emotional support and cognitive stimulation. The prevalence of SHS at home was 81%.
Family characteristics related were higher means of sum of children (t= -2.494; p=0.013), shorter birth
spacing (t= -3.146; p=0.002), younger age of mother (t= -3.798; p=0.000) and father (t= -3.766; p=0.000), and
shorter years of father education (t= -2.933; p=0.004) were significantly related to higher prevalence of SHS
exposure at home.and also lower cognitive stimulation (F=2.705- p=0.046). Several family characteristics
and also the quality of parenting identified as factors associated with infant SHS exposure at home. The high
prevalence needs attention for intensive health promotion and consistent implementation of smoke-free
legislation to protect infant and breastfeeding mothers from SHS exposure at home.