Message to smoking parents: Take 7 steps out

Mary Wallace shows Bev Maguire of Belfield Children’s Centre just what kind of chemicals a cigarette contains

Parents who smoke in the Rochdale borough are being reminded that they should take ‘7 steps’ out of the house when smoking.

The advice follows a series of sessions which took place in the Rochdale borough over the last year as part of the ‘Chemical Soup’ initiative, that sought to educate parents, volunteers and health workers about the dangers of second-hand cigarette smoke.

Developed by children’s charity Barnardo’s working in partnership with Manchester Stop Smoking Service, the ‘chemical soup kit’ complete with cooking pot and fake hazardous liquids, was presented to attendees in a fun and visual way and highlighted some of the harmful chemicals in cigarette smoke. Of more than 4,000 chemicals in cigarette smoke, 60 are known to cause cancer as well as avoidable childhood illnesses.

A new survey of more than 1000 participants who completed the training revealed that almost three quarters (71%) who indicated their homes were not smoke free before the session pledged to make their homes smoke free following it.

Bev Maguire of Belfield Children’s Centre, Rochdale said: “I was really shocked to find out that there are more than 4,000 chemicals in a cigarette. Actually seeing all the chemicals that go into it really makes you sit up and listen.”

Dr Jane Rossini, Director of Public Health for Rochdale borough said: “Smoking around children is responsible for at least 34,000 preventable GP and hospital visits across the North West every year. In enclosed spaces it exposes their vulnerable lungs and bodies to harmful toxins.

"Parents and other family members may not know that many of the harmful chemicals in cigarette smoke are invisible, so standing by an open window or door is simply not enough to protect their children.

"Carrying out this community activity helped highlight the dangers and showed that there is a way to prevent harm; go right outside the house to help protect children from secondhand smoke.”

This community activity was the next stage of the Take 7 Steps Out campaign – that encourages smokers to smoke outside of their home, especially when children are in the house - and delivered jointly by Tobacco Free Futures and Barnardos.