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Parental smoking and other risk factors for wheezing bronchitis in children

E Rylander1, G Pershagen, M Eriksson

  • 1Department of Epidemiology, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden.

European Journal of Epidemiology
|September 1, 1993
PubMed

Insights

Parental smoking significantly increases the risk of childhood wheezing bronchitis and asthma. Reducing environmental exposures like smoke and ensuring longer breastfeeding can dramatically lower incidence.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric respiratory health
  • Environmental epidemiology
  • Public health

Background:

  • Wheezing bronchitis and asthma are common respiratory illnesses in young children.
  • Identifying preventable risk factors is crucial for primary prevention strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate etiologic factors for wheezing bronchitis and asthma in children up to four years of age.
  • To assess the impact of parental smoking and other environmental factors on childhood respiratory illnesses.

Main Methods:

  • Population-based case-control study.
  • 199 hospitalized children (cases) and 351 controls were interviewed.
  • Data collected via home interviews regarding parental smoking, heredity, infections, and feeding practices.

Main Results:

  • Parental smoking showed a relative risk of 1.8 (27% population attributable proportion), strongest with maternal smoking in infants under 18 months.
  • Atopic heredity, recurrent upper respiratory infections, and short breastfeeding (<3 months) interacted with parental smoking.
  • Combined environmental factors (smoking, short breastfeeding, pets) accounted for 43% of cases, with greater impact in younger children.

Conclusions:

  • Parental smoking is a major modifiable risk factor for childhood wheezing and asthma.
  • Environmental factors significantly influence respiratory health in early childhood.
  • Primary prevention focusing on reducing parental smoking and optimizing breastfeeding can substantially decrease the incidence of these conditions.

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