Passive smoking as a risk factor of anemia in young children aged 0-35 months in Jordan
Rathavuth Hong1, Jose A Betancourt, Martin Ruiz-Beltran
1Department of Global Health, School of Public Health and Health Services, George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA. rhong@gwu.edu
Insights
Exposure to passive smoking from both parents significantly increases the risk of anemia in young children in Jordan. This highlights the critical need for smoking prevention during and after pregnancy to protect child health.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Health
- Environmental Health
- Public Health
Background:
- Passive smoking negatively impacts pregnancy outcomes and child health, linked to stillbirth, premature birth, and respiratory issues.
- Exposure to secondhand smoke in children is associated with conditions like asthma and disorders in red blood cell metabolism.
- This study investigates the specific impact of passive smoking on anemia prevalence in young children residing in Jordan.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the association between passive smoking and anemia in children aged 0-35 months in Jordan.
- To identify if parental smoking is a significant risk factor for childhood anemia, independent of other factors.
- To provide evidence supporting smoking cessation interventions for maternal and child health.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from 740 children (0-35 months) from the 2002 Jordan Population and Family Health Survey, including hemoglobin level measurements.
- Employed multivariate logistic regression to analyze the relationship between passive smoking and anemia.
- Controlled for various known risk factors and confounding variables associated with childhood anemia.
Main Results:
- Anemia in young children showed a strong positive association with passive smoking exposure from both parents (OR=2.99, p < 0.01), independent of other factors.
- Severe childhood malnutrition was a significant independent risk factor for anemia (OR=5.29, p < 0.05).
- Factors associated with reduced anemia risk included older child age (24-35 months), maternal age (35-49), and hygienic household toilet facilities.
Conclusions:
- Passive smoking by both parents is a significant independent risk factor for anemia in young children in Jordan.
- Findings underscore the importance of smoking prevention strategies during and post-pregnancy to mitigate childhood anemia and other health problems.
- Public health initiatives should focus on reducing environmental smoke exposure to improve pediatric health outcomes.
Background:
Passive smoking unfavorably affects pregnancy, child birth and child health. Passive smoking associates with still-birth, premature birth as well as acute respiratory infection, asthma, disorder in red blood cell metabolism in children. This study examined the effects of passive smoking on anemia in young children in Jordan.
Methods:
The analysis based on the information from 740 children aged 0-35 months that were tested for hemoglobin levels included in the 2002 Jordan Population and Family Health Survey. This study used multivariate logistic regression method to analyze the effect of passive smoking on anemia in young children in Jordan, controlling for a number of risk factors and confounding factors for anemia.
Results:
Results indicated that independent of other risk factors and confounding factors, anemia in young children was strongly positively associated with exposure to passive smoking from both parents (OR= 2.99, p < 0.01). Severely undernourished children were at higher risk of anemia independent of passive smoking and other risk factors (OR= 5.29, p < 0.05). Children age 24-35 months, children born to mothers age 35-49, and children lived in households with a hygienic toilet facility were less likely to suffer from anemia.
Conclusion:
Passive smoking from both parents was strongly positively associated with anemia in young children in Jordan independent of other risk factors and confounding factors. The results support the importance of smoking prevention during and after pregnancy that prevent childhood anemia and others morbidities in young children.
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