SETTING: Children's Hospital for Respiratory Diseases and Tuberculosis, Belgrade, Serbia. OBJECTIVES: To compare parents' educational level and smoking habits with asthma in children exposed to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) and in those not exposed. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, 231 asthmatic children (average age 10.6 years, 49% boys) from smoking and non-smoking families were compared by birth weight, birth length, first episode of wheezing, number of respiratory infections and exacerbations per year, severity of asthma, number of hospitalisations, total serum immunoglobulin E (IgE), skin prick tests and allergic manifestations. RESULTS: In our study, 77% of the children were from smoking families: 45.9% had active smoking mothers and 51% active smoking fathers. Smoking was more common among parents with lower education level. The mother being the only smoker in the family had a greater impact on respiratory infections and asthma exacerbations in the first years of life; however, after the third year, the effect of having both smoking parents was important. Children exposed to ETS had more allergic manifestations. The percentage of children with both non-smoking parents decreased and that of children with both smoking parents increased with increasing asthma severity (χ(2) = 17.73, P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: ETS has a negative impact on illness among children with asthma.
SETTING:Children's Hospital for Respiratory Diseases and Tuberculosis, Belgrade, Serbia. OBJECTIVES: To compare parents' educational level and smoking habits with asthma in children exposed to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) and in those not exposed. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, 231 asthmatic children (average age 10.6 years, 49% boys) from smoking and non-smoking families were compared by birth weight, birth length, first episode of wheezing, number of respiratory infections and exacerbations per year, severity of asthma, number of hospitalisations, total serum immunoglobulin E (IgE), skin prick tests and allergic manifestations. RESULTS: In our study, 77% of the children were from smoking families: 45.9% had active smoking mothers and 51% active smoking fathers. Smoking was more common among parents with lower education level. The mother being the only smoker in the family had a greater impact on respiratory infections and asthma exacerbations in the first years of life; however, after the third year, the effect of having both smoking parents was important. Children exposed to ETS had more allergic manifestations. The percentage of children with both non-smoking parents decreased and that of children with both smoking parents increased with increasing asthma severity (χ(2) = 17.73, P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: ETS has a negative impact on illness among children with asthma.
Authors: Mathieu Roy; Mélissa Généreux; Emélie Laverdière; Alain Vanasse Journal: Int J Environ Res Public Health Date: 2014-05-06 Impact factor: 3.390
Authors: Timothy W Collins; Young-an Kim; Sara E Grineski; Stephanie Clark-Reyna Journal: Int J Environ Res Public Health Date: 2014-08-06 Impact factor: 3.390
Authors: Stana Ubavić; Nataša Bogavac-Stanojević; Aleksandra Jović-Vraneš; Dušanka Krajnović Journal: Int J Environ Res Public Health Date: 2018-05-14 Impact factor: 3.390