Second-hand smoke exposure in the home

Many of Scotland’s children are still regularly exposed to second-hand smoke (SHS) in the home and exposure to SHS is associated with a range of diseases including asthma, respiratory infections, meningitis and cot death.

Children are particularly susceptible to the health impacts of second-hand smoke as they have smaller airways, breathe faster and their immune systems are still developing. They may also be less able to remove themselves from a smoky environment. 

Our services

Creating a smoke-free home is not always easy. Parents who smoke want to protect their children and many parents who smoke already take some action. However we know that parents often do not understand enough about the way that tobacco smoke behaves and the harm it causes and so welcome information and support.  

Our role is to work with family support organisations who have built up working relationships with parents in their communities to enable support to families who wish to make their homes smoke-free. 

We have an eLearning module that introduces you to the topic of SHS. It focuses on building knowledge and in so doing, building your confidence when speaking to parents and carers. You can find this and other modules on our eLearning site.		We have created a tailor-made SHS activities and resources pack. This free resource is for early years and family support workers, enabling you to run a session talking to parents about the harm caused by tobacco smoke in the home, and what they can do to protect their families.*		We offer free support to family support services. We can assist in improving policy and practice, and in doing so, enabling you to  integrate smoke-free homes support into your activities and practice.

*Please note: to download the activities and resource pack, you will first need to complete the free SHS eLearning module on the site. Thereafter, you can email Beverley at engagement@ashscotland.org.uk for the access key to download the full pack.

Other resources: 

For information about how to protect your family from tobacco smoke at home and in the car download the free ASH Scotland guide: Protect your family from tobacco smoke in your home and car.

The Scottish Government's 'take it right outside' mass media campaign (2014 and 2016) provides guidance on taking any smoking right outside.

In addition, we have a pocket guide for discussing second-hand smoke with families, designed for family support workers.