Knowledge and Attitudes of Parents Who Smoke About the Smoking Behavior of Their Children

The purpose of this exploratory study was to determine the knowledge about smoking issues, attitudes about smoking by their children, and beliefs about their ability to prevent their children from smoking among parents who smoke and have children in the sixth grade. Sixty parents who smoke and have children in the sixth grade were selected at random from elementary schools in the Omaha, Nebraska, Public Schools. Results indicate that although there are areas where these parents seem to have an adequate level of knowledge about smoking, there are other crucial areas about which their knowledge is incomplete or lacking. Their attitudes about their children and smoking are generally positive. They generally do not believe that they will be effective in preventing their children from smoking. Limitations and recommendations are presented.