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Secondhand Smoke
Research
Parental warning: second-hand smoke may trigger nicotine dependence symptoms in kids
Canadian researchers recently discovered that secondhand smoke from parents’ smoking in cars and homes can cause children to develop nicotine dependence. The study evaluated nicotine dependence symptoms among 1800 children aged 10-12 with a questionnaire on tobacco use and health risk behaviors. Among children who had never smoked and were exposed to secondhand smoke either in cars or at home, five percent reported symptoms of nicotine dependence. According to the researchers, these findings add to the scientific basis for legislation banning smoking in vehicles. Click here to read more. Click here to access the abstract of the research article, which is available online in the journal Addictive Behaviors.
Household smoking and childhood asthma in the United States: a state-level analysis
The National Children’s Health Survey (NHCS) is the first study to link smoking in the home to childhood asthma at the state level in the United States. To study geographic variations in asthma rates, data from the 2003 NCHS were analyzed along with EPA estimates of air quality and state-level poverty reports. Researchers found a statistically significant positive association between smoking and asthma at the state level that appears to be unrelated to statewide measures of outdoor air quality or by state-level socioeconomic status. Click here to read the abstract of the article, which was published in the September 2008 Journal of Asthma.
Secondhand smoke linked to peripheral artery disease in women
A cross-sectional population-based study of 1200 Chinese women found that long-term exposure to secondhand smoke is associated with an increased risk of various cardiovascular conditions. Women exposed to secondhand smoke for at least 15 minutes a day for at least two of the past ten years increased their risk of peripheral artery disease (PAD) by 67%, compared to women who were never exposed to secondhand smoke. Secondhand smoke increased women’s risk of stroke by 56% and of coronary heart disease by 69%. Most women in the study, 86.8%, were exposed to secondhand smoke in the home, rather than in the workplace. For more information, click here. To read the abstract of the article from the journal Circulation, click here.
Gene variations, secondhand smoke linked to early asthma
New research has identified the interaction between secondhand smoke and a genetic variant that increases the risk of early childhood asthma. Researchers found that the genetic predisposition to developing asthma by age 4 was exacerbated by secondhand smoke exposure. Researchers evaluated about 1500 study subjects for genetic variations called single-nucleotide polymorphisms (or SNPs) located in an area of chromosome 17 that has been tied to asthma risk. Eleven SNPs were identified that had a statistically significant association with asthma. Of those, four were strongly associated with early-onset asthma. Among individuals exposed to secondhand smoke during childhood, there was a striking association between six of the genetic variants and asthma. Smoke-exposed individuals possessing the genetic variant with the strongest link to asthma were nearly three times more likely to have asthma, compared to individuals with other genotypes. Click here to read more about smoking and childhood asthma, or click here to read the abstract of the research, which was published online in the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Reports
Virginia ad campaign: No matter the time of day, lung cancer shouldn't be on the menu (VA)
A coalition of Virginia public health groups has launched a newspaper advertising campaign to push for smokefree legislation to clean up the air in the state’s restaurants. According to reports, legislators are considering a law that would ban smoking in restaurants, except after 10 pm. In response, the public health ads make the point that secondhand smoke exposure is harmful at any time of the day. The ads, which will run in the Richmond Times-Dispatch for two weeks, state, “No matter the time of day, lung cancer shouldn’t be on the menu.” According to poll results from early 2008, 75% of Virginians are in favor of state laws that ban smoking in restaurants, and 88% agreed that all Virginians should be protected from secondhand smoke in the workplace. Click here for more information.
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Resources
Developing Smokefree Implementation Regulations Website
Developing Smokefree Implementation Regulations (DSIR) is a web-based toolkit developed by the Tobacco Technical Assistance Consortium (TTAC), and funded by a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Rapid Response Grant administered by the American Nonsmokers’ Rights Foundation. DSIR was developed to help health departments and others in the public health community draft and adopt regulations to implement smokefree laws. The Developing Smokefree Implementation Regulations includes examples of effective state and local implementation language, model implementation and enforcement rules, an introduction to public health rulemaking, and an overview of smokefree policy for lawyers.
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