BACKGROUND: Secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure causes 1% of global mortality. Biomarker evidence shows that young children in smoking families have substantially higher rates of SHS exposure than do children in nonsmoking homes. While lack of knowledge of SHS dangers may play a role, misperceptions of how and when exposure occurs may also be contributing, if the parents think that the children are safe when they are not. Our qualitative work showed that many parents do hold misperceptions about SHS exposure. We aim to quantify the proportion of adults who hold misperceptions regarding tobacco smoke exposure in a nationally representative survey.
METHODS: Data were from 659 adults (aged 18+) who participated in the 2022 International Tobacco Control (ITC) Israel Survey. A telephone survey was conducted in March-June 2022 among a random sample of the adult population. Data were weighted for population characteristics and smoking status.
RESULTS: 59.4% of adults did not understand that SHS exposure can occur even when the smoke cannot be seen or smelled, or the smoker cannot be seen. 46.3% of adults, including 53.5% of smokers, did not understand that smoking on a porch can harm others. 45.7% of adults, including 56.9% of smokers, did not understand that smoking outdoor at least one meter away from a child does not protect the child from the dangers of exposure.
CONCLUSIONS: Misperceptions of exposure, whereby people incorrectly believe that no exposure to tobacco smoke occurs, are common among Israeli adults. The necessary distancing of others in order to protect them is not well understood. Effective messages and campaigns should be developed in order to change social norms regarding distancing from others during and after smoking in outdoor as well as indoor areas. This has the potential to reduce secondhand smoke exposure, active smoking, and to improve public health.