, 2007; Zhang et al., 2011). However, analyses of home smoking bans have relied largely on the sole response of one household member regarding the existence and degree of smoking bans in the home. In contrast, relatively few studies have investigated potential sellckchem discordance in perceptions of home smoking bans among different household members. Mumford et al. used 1998/1999 Tobacco Use Supplement (TUS) to the U.S. Current Population Survey (CPS) and found that an estimated 12% of their sample of households with two or more adults provided discordant reports about home smoking bans (Mumford, Levy, & Romano, 2004). The discordance varied by smoking status, socioeconomic status, race/ethnicity, and presences of children.

Discordant reports of bans may be the result of differential reporting due to different duration and frequency of observation by reporters, different operational definition, and social desirability. Ding et al. found that children in families that provided discordant reports on home smoking bans were exposed to higher SHS level compared with those with complete bans (Ding et al., 2011). This suggests that concordant ban reports are associated with reduced SHS exposure, and discordant reports could reflect lax enforcement of or incomplete smoking bans. In a qualitative study of household smoking restrictions, some participants reported resistance from smokers in the family when someone proposed to ban smoking in the home. Some of these families compromised and set up a partial ban (Kegler, Escoffery, Groff, Butler, & Foreman, 2007), which reduced but did not completely eliminate SHS exposure (Blackburn et al.

, 2003; Wakefield et al., 2000). As overall rates of home smoking bans have increased and social recognition of the harm of involuntary smoking exposure, especially to children, has greatly improved over the last decade throughout the United States (Hyland et al., 2009), the demographic and socioeconomic factors associated with the discordance may have changed accordingly. To date, we are unaware of any study examining this question. Yet, it has important implications for both research methodology and public health practice. The current study used nationally representative surveys to track the evolution of parental discordance/concordance in the reporting of home smoking bans among two-parent households with underage children from 1995 to 2007. We also investigated household and parental characteristics associated with discordant/concordant home ban reports over this period. Methods Study Population The 1995�C1996, Brefeldin_A 1998�C1999, 2001�C2002, 2003, and 2006�C2007 TUS-CPS data were used in the current study.