MassCONECT 4 Kids: Promoting Smoke-free Homes

Involuntary secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure in homes is an entirely preventable public
health threat that disproportionately burdens young children in communities of low
socioeconomic position. Breathe Free For Kids is a community-based participatory research
(CBPR) initiative to evaluate the effectiveness of Ml compared with usual best practices
(UBP) by having parents voluntarily adopt smoke-free home policies to protect children from
SHS. The Motivational Interviewing intervention protocol was developed in conjunction with
community partners, integrated into a health department-sponsored home visiting program for
high-risk children and other community-based agencies serving children, and delivered by
trained community health workers.

Inclusion Criteria:

- Tobacco smoking occurs regularly (smoke a minimum of one cigarette/cigar per day or
five cigarettes/cigars per week) inside the home or in an attached patio/porch,
hallway or stairwell

- Primary caregiver of child aged birth to 5 years old (inclusive) enrolled in
Massachusetts Early Intervention program, Healthy Families program or the general
population in Boston, Lawrence and Worcester areas.

- Ability of a custodial parent aged 17 or older/legally authorized representative or
primary caregiver of child enrolled in participating programs to give permission for
the index child to provide saliva sample.

- Participant has access to a telephone to schedule study contacts and participate in
follow-up calls

Exclusion Criteria:

- Not able to understand English or Spanish at a 8th grade level or above

- In poor physical or psychological health (self-reported and observed by Community
Health Worker), for whom participating in this intervention study might compromise
the child's or participant's welfare, or be impracticable

- Index child is a ward of the state