Yes to testing children
Sixty percent of parents, whether they smoke or not, said they would like to have their children tested for tobacco smoke exposure during pediatric visits, according to a new study released online on Monday (March 21). The study, led by researchers at the Center for Child and Adolescent Health Policy at MassGeneral Hospital for Children (MGHfC), is the first one nationally to assess whether testing children for such smoke as part of a regular primary care visit is acceptable to parents. It will appear in print in the April issue of Pediatrics. “The surprising result here is that parents who smoke want their own children tested for tobacco smoke exposure,” said Jonathan Winickoff of MGHfC, who is an associate professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School and lead author of the study. “This may signal the general recognition among parents, even among those who smoke, that there is no safe level of...