What factors are important for pediatric residents' smoking cessation counseling of parents?

Pediatricians are expected to discuss the hazards of passive smoking and provide smoking cessation counseling (SCC) because passive smoking is known to have a direct negative effect on children's health. We conducted a cross-sectional survey of pediatric and medicine-pediatric residents at 2 training programs to identify resident-reported factors associated with higher confidence in and frequency of SCC. In this sample of 71 residents, 83% reported asking about parental smoking but only 36% reported counseling parents to quit smoking. Knowledge of smoking cessation resources was the factor most strongly associated with high confidence in and frequency of SCC. Research should be done to evaluate if improving awareness of smoking cessation resources for parents improves pediatricians' confidence in asking about parental smoking and the likelihood of advising parents to quit smoking.