Children exposed to environmental smoking have a higher antibiotic consumption.

In order to investigate what factors influence antibiotic prescribing, a questionnaire answered by 8700 parents to 4-year-old children in Malmö between 1999 and 2004 was analyzed. 51.3% of the 4-year-old children had been treated with antibiotics. Exposure to environmental smoking, attending day care centers, employment of parents and parents born in Sweden was found to be statistically significant risk factor for antibiotic prescribing. The association between environmental smoking and antibiotic treatment found in this study could be used in information campaigns which might not only lead to a decreased antibiotic prescribing among the children, but also future positive health effects for their parents.