Correlating household second-hand smoke exposure and respiratory symptoms in school children

  • Branislava I Matić Institute of Public Health of Serbia
  • Dragana L Vujanović Faculty of Pharmacy, Belgrade University, Belgrade
  • Snežana M Dejanović Institute of Public Health of Serbia, Belgrade
  • Verica S Jovanović Institute of Public Health of Serbia, Belgrade
  • Nela Ž Đonović Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Kragujevac, Kragujevac

Abstract


ABSTRACT

Objective. Aim of this paper was to correlate exposure to household second-hand smoke and respiratory symptoms in participating school children attending ten primary schools in Belgrade, Serbia.

Methods. A comparative cross-sectional study was conducted to determine the association between second-hand smoke exposure at home and respiratory symptoms in primary school pupils. The study was conducted in ten primary schools on 735 children, in 44 classrooms in Belgrade, Serbia. A standardized questionnaire was distributed to parents/care-givers, on child’s respiratory health, socioeconomic status and parents’ lifestyle habits, primarily cigarette smoking.

Results. 78% of all exposed children have parents smoking up to 20 cigarettes/day, while more than 22% is exposed to parents´ household second-hand smoke of more than 21 cigarettes per day (p<0.0001). Respiratory disorders appear in 45.9% of children exposed to domestic second-hand smoke (CI 1.04-1.89), asthmatic symptoms in 33.5% (CI 0.94-1.78), while the least incidence of disorders  is reported for continuous cough lasting for 3 months (3.3%, CI 0.44-2.36), wheezing after exercise (4.5%, CI 0.38-1.41) and being awaken by wheezing in last 12 months (7.4%, CI 0.89-3.28).

Conclusion. Univariate logistic regression analysis proved exposure to parental smoking is a statistically significant predictor for the occurrence of respiratory symptoms in children. 

Keywords: household second-hand smoke, children, respiratory symptoms

Author Biographies

Branislava I Matić, Institute of Public Health of Serbia
MD, MSc, Hygiene and environmental health specialist, Head of Environmental Health and School Hygiene Department
Dragana L Vujanović, Faculty of Pharmacy, Belgrade University, Belgrade
PhD, University Professor, Toxicologist
Snežana M Dejanović, Institute of Public Health of Serbia, Belgrade
MD, Hygiene and Environmental health specialist, Center for Hygiene and Environmental Health
Verica S Jovanović, Institute of Public Health of Serbia, Belgrade
Director of Institute of Public Health of Serbia, specialist of social medicine, MD,MSc
Nela Ž Đonović, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Kragujevac, Kragujevac
MD,PhD, University Professor

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Published
2018/01/08
Section
Original Scientific Paper