REFRESH (Reducing families' exposure to second-hand smoke in the home)
ASH Scotland has received significant funding (£500,000) from the Big Lottery Fund research grants programme to manage a new research project, beginning in February 2010.
This project will deliver a portfolio of research to develop tools for community health workers to help them reduce children’s exposure to second-hand smoke, particularly in deprived communities. Second-hand smoke has been linked to child ill-health including respiratory problems, middle ear disease, asthma and cot death. However existing research shows that many parents are ill-informed, and that health professionals may not be best equipped to support families.
The project will involve three linked phases including desk research to map existing work; qualitative research to understand the issues faced by parents, practitioners and policy makers; and field work to develop, pilot, and evaluate a new intervention in the home.
ASH Scotland will lead the project, including project management, desk research, training, engagement of stakeholders (including parent and community representatives), and communicating research findings. Our partners at the University of Aberdeen will lead the field work, with the University of Edinburgh leading on qualitative interviews and analysis. The work will be co-ordinated and managed through a Project Management Group involving all the partners.
We have estimated that 310,673 individuals will benefit, including 310,513 pre-teen Scottish children (0-12 years old) who live with a parent who smokes, and 160 community health workers. In addition 80 organisations working in health promotion will benefit.
In order to ensure that the research influences policy and practice, a Research Board will be established, bringing together key networks and decision-makers throughout the life of the project. The Research Board will provide independent advice, ensure the effective involvement of the research beneficiaries, review the findings and ensure they are robust, make recommendations for change, support dissemination of the findings and recommendations, and work to deliver change as a result.
We will disseminate the research findings through a wide range of different methods to suit the target audience. This will include: academic papers, short briefings on research findings, detailed reports, ‘how to’ guides, newsletter and email updates, project events and presentations to existing conferences, press work, and individual ambassadorial activity.
The research will take three years, with an additional year for dissemination. 
Contact details
Project Leader:
Dr Rachel O'Donnell: 0131 220 9478, e-mail: rharrison@ashscotland.org.uk
Senior Researcher:
April Shaw, 0131 220 9488, e-mail: ashaw@ashscotland.org.uk
Useful links on second-hand smoke
- Information briefing on child exposure to second-hand smoke in the home (March 2010) (pdf, 83kb)
- Latest research on second-hand smoke
- Conclusions and recommendations of Royal College of Physicians Tobacco Advisory Group Report (March 2010)
- Tobacco Smoke and Involuntary Smoking: International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) Monographs on the Evaluation of Carcinogenic Risks to Humans, Volume 83 (2004)