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A longitudinal study of the effects of parental smoking on pulmonary function in children 6-18 years
1Department of Environmental Health, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115.
Insights
Maternal smoking, both current and in early childhood, negatively impacts children's lung function. Exposure to parental cigarette smoking affects lung development and function in children.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Health
- Pediatrics
- Pulmonology
Background:
- Parental smoking is a significant environmental exposure for children.
- Understanding the long-term effects on respiratory health is crucial for public health.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between parental cigarette smoking and children's pulmonary function.
- To differentiate the effects of current versus early-life exposure to parental smoking.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal study of 8,706 nonsmoking children aged 6-18 years.
- Annual questionnaires and spirometry to assess pulmonary function.
- Regression splines used to model effects of maternal and paternal smoking exposure.
Main Results:
- Current maternal smoking was associated with reduced FEV1, FEV1/FVC, and FEF25-75% in children aged 6-10 years.
- Early-life maternal smoking exposure (first 5 years) was linked to higher FVC but lower FEV1/FVC and FEF25-75% in younger children.
- Effects of smoking were generally more pronounced in younger children (6-10 years) compared to older children (11-18 years).
Conclusions:
- Both current and early-life maternal smoking have detrimental effects on children's lung function.
- Specific components of lung function are differentially affected by timing and duration of parental smoking exposure.
- Public health interventions should focus on reducing parental smoking to protect child respiratory health.
Abstract:
The association between parental cigarette smoking and children's pulmonary function was investigated in 8,706 nonsmoking white children, followed annually by questionnaire and spirometry between 6 and 18 yr. Exposure to maternal and paternal smoking was each divided into three components: exposure in the first 5 yr of life, cumulative exposure between age 6 and the year prior to each visit; parental smoking status reported at each visit. Regression splines were used to assess the effects of parental smoking on the level and growth rate of pulmonary function adjusting for age, height, city of residence, and parental education. Models best predicting pulmonary function level included current maternal smoking and exposure to maternal smoking in the first 5 yr of life but did not include the other measures of parental smoking. After adjusting for early exposure, current maternal smoking for each pack/d was associated with a reduced level of FEV1 (-0.4%, 95% CI: -0.9, 0.1), FEV1/FVC (-0.6%, 95% CI: -0.9, -0.4), and FEF25-75% (-2.3%, 95% CI: -3.6, -1.0) in children 6 to 10 yr. These effects were slightly smaller in children 11 to 18 yr. Adjusting for current maternal smoking, those exposed to maternal smoking in the first 5 yr of life had higher FVC (+0.5%, 95% CI: -0.1, 1.2) and lower FEV1/FVC (-0.7%, 95% CI: -1.1, -0.4) and FEF25-75% (-2.8%, 95% CI: -4.4, -1.2) than those not exposed in children 6 to 10 yr.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)