Abstract:
The purposes of this research were to study the secondhand smoke exposure of children under five years old and to examine whether secondhand smoke exposure correlate with respiratory tract infection of children under five years old in Changphuek Community, Nakhonratchasima. The eighty purposive samples were interviewed by researcher following the secondhand smoke exposure of children under five years old questionnaire. Descriptive statistics and correlation analysis (Chi-Square Test) were used. This analytical study found that almost ninety percent of household (N=70) in Changphuek community reported there was secondhand smoke exposure in their house. The family member who exposed the most was children under five years old. They spent time in the household with smoker more than seventeen hours ( =17.39 S.D.=1.21). The majority of smoker in the household was father (55.71%). The samples reported the smokers smoke inside their house (47.14%, furthermore, they smoke when their children stayed in the house (70%). There was correlation between secondhand smoke exposure and respiratory tract infection (X2 = .48, p ‹ .01), that means, children under five years old who exposed to secondhand smoke will have respiratory tract infection. The findings of this study indicated that the majority of children under five years old expose to secondhand smoke in their household. Nurses should concern the consequences of this situation and plan to help family members reduce or stop smoking inside their houses. The researcher should examine the factors related to secondhand smoke in the household.
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