Smoke Free Living Project

1. Smoke Free Living Project Elen de Lacy Research and Policy Analyst ASH Wales

2. Presentation Outline • Smoke Free Living Project - Background • Smoke Free Living Project - Delivery • Pilot Phase - Evaluation results • Cardiff smoke free living initiative • The way forward

3. Smokefree Living Project • Aim • The over-arching aim of the Smokefree Living Project in Wales is to reduce the risks of smoking in the home to: • Health • The environment • Children and pets • Fire Safety

4. Smokefree Living Project • The Partners • ASH Wales • Firebrake Wales • Welsh Fire & Rescue Services

5. Smoking in the home • Passive smoking in children accounts for over 300,000 GP consultations a year in the UK • 9,500 children hospital admissions a year in the UK are due to passive smoking • 40 deaths from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome a year are caused by passive smoking in the UK • In 2007, Smokers Materials’ accounted for 8% of accidental dwelling fires, 12% of casualties and 44% of fatalities in such fires in Wales

6. Smoking in the home • Many children don’t have the personal power to complain or remove themselves from exposure to SHS (Ashley, ferrence,1998; Thompson, Wilson, Howden-Chapman, 2006). • Exposure is linked to parents’ poor knowledge of the relationship between exposure to SHS and the specific health risks for children (ASH Scotland, 2006) • Low income households have fewer restrictions on smoking in the home (Phillips, Amos & Ritchie et al., 2007)

7. Benefits of Smokefree Living • New born babies less likely to develop respiratory infections and SIDS • Children less likely to develop asthma, respiratory infections or glue ear • The risk of fire will be reduced in the home • Protection of families and friends from SHS • Pets less likely to suffer from respiratory problems

8. Potential Barriers to a Smokefree Home • Lack of knowledge of health effects of a smoky home • Lack of belief in ability to create a smokefree home • Restricted mobility due to health problems or disability which makes it difficult to go outside • Lack of places to go outside e.g. high-rise flats • Low self-esteem or lack of confidence to make changes • Lack of control over home situation

9. Why is the Smokefree living project a priority? • Identified as a priority by the Local Tobacco Free Partnerships in Wales • Identified as a key priority in the Health, Social Care & Well-Being Strategy’s and Children and Young People’s Strategies in Wales • ASH Wales working in partnership with Firebrake Wales and Fire and Rescue Services to incorporate important fire safety message

10. Smokefree Living Project • To identify and target an intervention to households in Wales where people smoke • To provide information on reducing risks, to those households where people smoke • To monitor and evaluate any changes in smoking behaviour in the home, as a result of the project/intervention

11. This project is…. A‘risk reduction’ model, not focusing on ‘cessation’ Delivering‘more than a health issue’ message = more impact Targeting known smoking households

12. Smokefree Living Project - Delivery • Home Fire Safety Check • Smoking households a • Gives consent

13. Smokefree Living Project - Delivery • Initial phase = one of the 3 Fire and Rescue Services, Mid and West Wales FRS (South & North Wales to follow) • Conducted a ‘pilot’ to ascertain effectiveness • 102 named individuals (had a recent HFSC, smoking household and given consent) • Evaluation of Pilot phase conducted - Fieldwork 16th-22nd July 09

14. ‘Pilot’ Evaluation Results Based on 102 individuals surveyed

15. Around 80% of those that recall receiving information pack read it.

16. Base: All those who read pack (27) % claiming their awareness raised / not raised

17. Summary • 1. Model looks effective 11% of those receiving the pack* said that they had changed their smoking behaviour as a result of reading the information • 2. Indications = more effective than similar initiatives Smoke Free Sefton Homes – 74 out of 10,000 homes ‘pledged’ Possible ‘bias’ of those inviting a Home Fire Safety Measure?) • 3. Need to understand longer term impact Sustained behavioural change

18. Cardiff and the Vale Smokefree Living Project

19. How we have worked in Health visitors in Cardiff…… Health visitors/community workers are in a unique position to influence and encourage smoke-free homes for children Key components of the initiative: • Changes to the PARIS system • Brief Intervention training provided by SSW • Smoke-free home packs

20. 1.) Changes to PARIS

21. Question 1 • Do you smoke? (this will be asked to the primary carer) Y N (drop-down box) If yes referral to SSW offered (using 3 A's - brief intervention)

22. Question 2 • Do you or anyone else smoke inside the home? Y N (drop-down box) If yes, smoke-free homes pack given and talked through

23. Question 3 • Do you intend to make your home smoke-free? Y N

24. 2.) Smoke-free Homes resources Give out a copy of the smoke-free homes packs and talk through: • Highlighting dangers of SHS and importance of a smoke-free home • Encourage smoke-free restrictions (including partners, grandparents, carers, visitors etc) • Refer those who are motivated to quit smoking to SSW • Inform that there are free fire safety checks offered by the Fire Service

25. How can you take this project forward in your area? • Training – brief intervention and smoking in the home (RCN/OCN accredited) • Recording procedures • Smokefree Living pack distribution • Referral to Stop Smoking Wales/for fire-safety check • Follow-up

26. Contact • Elen de Lacy - ASH Wales elen@ashwales.co.uk • Richard Hall – Firebrake Wales richard@firebrake.org • The full Report of the evaluation of the project pilot phase is at: http://www.firebrake.org/en/cometogether/projects.php