Environmental tobacco smoke exposure and 24-h movement guidelines in Spanish young people

No prior research has investigated how exposure to environmental tobacco smoke is related to the combination of 24-h movement behaviors among young populations thus far. The aim of this study was to examine the associations between exposure to secondhand smoke and the 24-h movement guidelines.

This is a cross-sectional study using data from the last available wave of the Spanish National Health Survey [2017], a nationally representative survey of the Spanish children and adult population. The final sample included 4,378 (49.0% girls) Spanish young people aged 2-14 years.

A lower likelikood of meeting screen time (ST) and all three 24-h movement guidelines were found in those exposed to environmental tobacco smoke in unadjusted models. After adjusting for several covariates, meeting screen time [odds ratio (OR) =0.76; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.59-0.97], sleep duration (OR =0.75; 95% CI, 0.58-0.96), and all three 24-h movement guidelines (OR =0.63; 95% CI, 0.44-0.91) reached significance after adjusting for potential confounders.

Given the inverse associations found, environmental tobacco smoke exposure should be a relevant factor to consider when promoting 24-h behaviors in the young population. Avoiding exposure to tobacco smoke in the environment is essential, as it can potentially influence the 24-h movement behaviors of young people, and consequently, the health benefits associated with such behaviors.