AMA Secondhand Smoke Initiative

People who chose not to smoke, or have quit smoking, are still at risk of tobacco related diseases if they exposed to other people’s smoke. This is often referred to as environmental tobacco smoke or secondhand smoke.  Non-smokers are also at risk if exposed to third-hand smoke which is the chemicals/gases and linger in a room and leach from the carpet, walls, furniture, clothing.

The AMA has addressed tobacco issues in many of its policies including but not limited to preventing youth initiation, helping physicians help their smoking patients to quit and protecting public health through smokefree legislation.  In 2006, the AMA launched its Secondhand Smoke Initiative, funded in part with a cooperative agreement with the Environmental Protection Agency.  The initiative’s goals are:

• Increase physician knowledge, awareness and practice on the health impact of  tobacco smoke exposure, especially on children, and how to counsel parents on eliminating their child’s exposure.
• Establish systems to assist physicians in educating patients and their families on tobacco smoke exposure, exposure reduction and smoking cessation.
• Physicians and their staff have access to a variety of tools and resources developed by the AMA to implement a comprehensive tobacco smoke reduction program in their practice.

Environmental Tobacco Smoke: Office-Based Strategies for Prevention and Intervention
The purpose of this training guide is to provide research-based professional development assistance to aid clinicians in counseling parents on the health risks of secondhand smoke exposure to children.

Curriculum content
Slides to accompany the training guide.

Secondhand smoke self-study
Please take this short self study before and after viewing the Environmental Tobacco Smoke training guide.