Reducing Environmental Tobacco Smoke in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) Infants' Homes

Overview

This study is about reducing the risks of smoke-related infant health problems. Research has shown that infants exposed to secondary smoke have higher risks of delayed lung development, respiratory illnesses, wheeze, cough, asthma, middle ear disease, and sudden infant death syndrome. Infants who have experienced low birth weight or required mechanical ventilation may be at an even greater risk for the negative effects of smoking. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of a 3-session program aimed at assisting the primary care giver in reducing risks to their child's health by decreasing infant smoke exposure in their home and/or reducing overall cigarette use. Caregivers will not be required to quit smoking to take part in this program. This information will, in the future, help to identify and improve ways of reducing health problems and perhaps death in children.

Approximately 38% of children aged 2 months to 5 years are exposed to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS), and compelling evidence suggests rates are even higher in low-income, less educated households. The adverse health effects of chronic ETS in children are well documented and include higher risks of delayed lung development, respiratory illnesses, wheeze, cough, asthma, middle ear disease and sudden infant death syndrome. Preterm infants admitted to a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) are particularly vulnerable to the effects of ETS, typically exhibiting significant respiratory or chronic lung conditions prior to discharge. The primary aim of this investigation is to develop and verify the feasibility and efficacy of a multicomponent behavioral intervention for reducing ETS exposure in a low-income, multi-ethnic population of NICU infants at particularly high social and medical risk for adverse effects of ETS. A randomized, controlled, between groups design will be used to test a hospital-based ETS reduction program based on motivational interviewing (MI). A total of 150 families with an infant at high respiratory risk in the NICU who report regular household smoking will be randomized to either MI or Usual Care. The MI intervention will include 2 one-hour counseling sessions within the 2 weeks prior to infant discharge and one telephone counseling call at two weeks post-discharge. Counseling and interviews will be conducted in Spanish or English. The proposed research brings together highly experienced behavioral and clinical investigators, an extraordinary infrastructure, and a large population easily accessible for intervention prior to discharge. Effective brief, hospital-based interventions to reduce ETS exposure in households with NICU infants at high respiratory risk could result in substantial decreases in adverse health effects and the very large associated costs.