In utero and early childhood exposure to secondhand smoke in Taiwan: a population-based birth cohort study

Abstract

ObjectivesThis study provides secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure data in utero and after birth when children were at 18 months, 36 months and 66 months old, and it identifies risk factors for the early childhood SHS among 18-month-old infants living in smoker and non-smoker households.Study designThe data come from the Taiwan Birth Cohort Study, a longitudinal survey of a birth cohort born in 2005. This study used the survey wave when children were 18 months old (n=18 845) for statistical analysis of early childhood SHS exposure. Logistic regression was used to identify the risk factors of the SHS exposure.ResultsApproximately 62% of the 18-month-old infants lived in a household with at least one smoker, with the father being the smoker in 84% of those households. Among these infants living in a smoker household, 70% were exposed to SHS and 36% were exposed to heavy SHS in utero, and the prevalence was approximately 66% and 17% after birth for SHS and heavy SHS, respectively. The number and the existence of smokers in the household, parents’ smoking status, father’s educational attainment and being a first-born baby are strong predictors of early childhood heavy SHS exposure.ConclusionsEncouraging families to have a smoke-free home environment, empowering women to ensure their perspectives and rights are embedded into tobacco control efforts and educating families about the health risks from childhood SHS exposure, especially among people living in households with smokers, will protect non-smoking adults and children from SHS exposure.

The association between secondhand smoke exposure and growth outcomes of children: A systematic literature review

“…Smoke exposure is responsible for approximately 0.6 million deaths annually and approximately 1% of global disease around the world 1 . The result of a study across 192 countries showed that 40% of children were exposed to secondhand smoke (SHS) 2 and 36% were exposed to SHS in utero 3 . This makes the implications of exposure a potentially significant public health problem.…”

Association between Self-Reported Survey Measures and Biomarkers of Second-Hand Tobacco Smoke Exposure in Non-Smoking Pregnant Women

“…In a cohort of 18,845 Taiwanese children aged 18 months, it was found that 62% of these children lived in a household with at least one smoker [48]. Cheng et al [48] further found that 84% of the smokers in the household were fathers of children. Consistently, in Egypt, Abdelati et al [45] also found that more than 50% of 118 pregnant women were exposed to SHS by their spouses.…”

“…Individuals' homes may be a major place for SHS exposure for women and children despite public education on reducing tobacco smoke exposure in homes [42,45,46]. Household members are still considered a strong predictor of SHS exposure among women and children [2,45,47,48]. In a cohort of 18,845 Taiwanese children aged 18 months, it was found that 62% of these children lived in a household with at least one smoker [48].…”

“…Household members are still considered a strong predictor of SHS exposure among women and children [2,45,47,48]. In a cohort of 18,845 Taiwanese children aged 18 months, it was found that 62% of these children lived in a household with at least one smoker [48]. Cheng et al [48] further found that 84% of the smokers in the household were fathers of children.…”

Coronary artery disease risk in young women with polycystic ovary syndrome

“…Although we have controlled for the major cardiovascular risk factors, information on some risk factors was unavailable in the registry such as body mass index and detailed smoking habits. Less than 5% of women are smokers and obesity is not prevalent in Taiwan [ 35 ]. Clarifying both the dependent and independent variables using ICD9 codes was another limitation.…”