Children's sore throats related to parental smoking.

There has been concern that the smoking of tobacco can adversely affect the health of non-smokers. This is most cogent in children who are subject to smoke at home. The aim of this study is to relate children's sore throats to the smoking habits of their parents. The parents of 154 children were asked about the age, sex, birthweight, method of postnatal feeding and age at starting school or day nursery of the child, the frequency of sore throats, smoking habits and history of tonsillectomy of all members of the household, the size of family, the dwelling size, and the occupation of the father. Analysis by multiple regression showed a significant association between children's sore throats and maternal smoking. Reduction in domestic cigarette smoke exposure should benefit the child by reducing the number of sore throats he or she suffers.