The “Smoke-free homes” project was already launched. On Thursday January 13 was held the first meeting of the project “Effectiveness of an evidence-based intervention to promote smoke-free homes: randomized controlled trial”. The project is coordinated by the IDIBELL and ICO Tobacco Control research group, in collaboration with researchers from the Public Health Agencies of Barcelona (ASPB) and Catalonia (ASPCAT) and it is funded by the Carlos III Health Institute.
This project aims to adapt and test the effectiveness of an intervention aimed to promote smoke-free homes among families with children and adults who smoke at home. The intervention will be offered to families through the associations of students’ families of primary and secondary schools in Barcelona and the metropolitan area.
The danger of exposure to secondhand tobacco smoke
It is well known that passive exposure to tobacco smoke increases the risk of suffering from various diseases, such as lung and cancers, stroke or coronary heart disease in adults and, it also has a negative impact on the child health as they are especially sensitive to secondhand smoke exposure.
The research group has estimated that each year this exposure is responsible for 9,000 cases of asthma, 120,000 middle ear infections, and 7,000 lower respiratory tract infections in children in Spain. However, the proportion of homes with smokers where smoking is not allowed at home is only 13% in the country, although 41% of homes have some type of regulation, there are still 46% of households that do not have any and allow smoking.
For this reason, promoting ‘smoke-free homes’ is a key element to improve the health of our children.
How will this project be carried out?
This new project will recruit 400 volunteer families who, divided into two groups that will receive basic or a complete intervention, to evaluate its implementation and effectiveness in our context. The intervention contains various activities such as printed materials and coaching call for families to learn about the benefits of not smoking at home and transform their home into a true “smoke-free”.
The intervention lasts six weeks and to assess its effectiveness the participants will be followed up in six months. This three-year research will make it possible to scientifically evaluate the intervention aimed at promoting “smoke-free homes”, as well as better inform its large-scale implementation and future usability.
The Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL) is a biomedical research center created in 2004. It is participated by the Bellvitge University Hospital and the Viladecans Hospital of the Catalan Institute of Health, the Catalan Institute of Oncology, the University of Barcelona and the City Council of L’Hospitalet de Llobregat.
IDIBELL is a member of the Campus of International Excellence of the University of Barcelona HUBc and is part of the CERCA institution of the Generalitat de Catalunya. In 2009 it became one of the first five Spanish research centers accredited as a health research institute by the Carlos III Health Institute. In addition, it is part of the “HR Excellence in Research” program of the European Union and is a member of EATRIS and REGIC. Since 2018, IDIBELL has been an Accredited Center of the AECC Scientific Foundation (FCAECC).