June 24, 2011 - Parents who smoke are more likely to attempt to quit during the time of their child’s surgery, but they are not more likely to succeed, according to a study published in Anesthesiology.  The study authors evaluated 1,112 children who lived with at least one person who smoked inside the home during a typical week. When surgery occurred in either the child or parent during the 12 month span, there was an increased likelihood that the parent would attempt to quit smoking. However, the quit attempts were more likely to succeed only if the parents themselves had the surgery. The authors stated that one in seven children undergoing surgery in the United States is chronically exposed to second-hand smoke. “Our current findings suggest that having a child undergo surgery can serve as a teachable moment for quit attempts,” said study author David O. Warner. “The scheduling of children for surgery may present us with an opportunity to provide tobacco interventions to parents, who are apparently more motivated to at least try to quit - but who need assistance to succeed.”

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