Table 3 Perceptions of control of the child’s environment and self-efficacy to protect them

Perceived lack of control/low self-efficacy – ‘I would like to protect them but I can’t’

“I have this fantasy of not smoking next to them, but I don’t have that privilege. It’s like…smoking in secret. Or there might be an instance where I can do it without them being on top of me or next to me. So if I’m with them for 12 h a day on weekends it’s like hiding from them.”

“(When I’m with) my baby I smoke only if he’s in the carriage. I can’t leave him alone for a minute, you understand? He′s still small.”

Perceived lack of control/low self-efficacy –practical barriers

“I try to go out on the balcony but it’s cold, and it sucks to stand out in the cold with a cigarette, so I smoke near them - it’s not great but it is what it is.”

Trying – making an effort

“I try very hard to have no smoke odor on me. I do everything to avoid anything reaching my daughter.”

“I try not to smoke next to them, but they’re always coming in and out, in and out. I always tell them to go in and stay inside.”

Feeling in control – high self-efficacy

“You simply need to change the habit…From smoking in the car to not smoking in the car. It’s a habit that you have to give up. There are habits you need to get rid of – to decide and to give them up.”

“We never smoke in the house, or in the car. Since our children were born, no such option exists.”