Miriam study seeks smokers

Researchers at The Miriam Hospital’s Centers for Behavioral and Preventive Medicine are recruiting parents who smoke for a National Institutes of Health-funded study that aims to help children with asthma breathe better and improve all parents’ and children’s health.
The Parents of Asthmatics Quit Smoking (PAQS) Project is open to parents and caregivers who spend a significant amount of time with either a healthy child ages 3 to 17, or a child with asthma. The study will occur in the participants’ homes and involves two home visits and regular phone calls from either a nurse or health counselor.
Researchers will also place air samplers in the homes to periodically monitor air quality.
In addition, the parents and caregivers will be split into two groups.
One group will get six telephone calls from the health counselor about the child’s asthma and overall wellness, including diet and exercise.
The second group will get six calls from a counselor focusing on the child’s asthma and offering support for caregivers who want to quit smoking.
Parents and caregivers do not have to quit smoking to participate, but if they choose to quit and are medically eligible, they can receive an eight-week supply of the nicotine patch at no cost. All participants will be compensated for their time.
Asthma is now the most common pediatric illness in the United States, affecting an estimated 4.8 million children, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More than half of U.S. children under 5 live in homes with at least one adult smoker, which places them at greater risk for several illnesses, including asthma. Research has shown that these children take more asthma medications and use emergency services more frequently than asthmatic children who are not exposed to environmental tobacco smoke.
For more information about the project, call 793-8043 or visit the PAQS Web site.