Household smoking habits effects on children taking up smoking

January 01, 0001

Household smoking habits effects on children taking up smoking

These UK researchers performed a systematic review and meta- analysis to quantify the influence of household members smoking on whether a child initiates cigarette smoking. They searched databases and proceedings of international conferences, yielding 58 studies. Random effects models were used for meta-analyses.

The researchers found: "The relative odds of uptake of smoking in children were increased significantly if at least one parent smoked (OR 1.72), more so by smoking by the mother (OR 2.19) than the father (OR 1.66), and if both parents smoked (OR 2.73). Smoking by a sibling increased the odds of smoking uptake by 2.30 and smoking by any household member by 1.92. After adjusting for overestimation of RRs it is estimated that, in England and Wales, around 17?000 young people take up smoking by the age of 15 each year as a consequence of exposure to household smoking."

The researchers concluded: "Parental and sibling smoking is a strong and significant determinant of the risk of smoking uptake by children and young people and, as such, is a major and entirely avoidable health risk. Children should be protected from exposure to smoking behaviour, especially by family members."

This systematic review and meta-analysis reinforces the influence of family member on children in terms of smoking behavior

For the full abstract, click here.

Thorax 66(10):847-855, October 2011 © 2011 BMJ Publishing Group Ltd & British Thoracic Society.
Exposure to parental and sibling smoking and the risk of smoking uptake in childhood and adolescence: a systematic review and meta- analysis. Jo Leonardi-Bee, Mirriam Lisa Jere, John Britton. Correspondence to Jo Leonardi-Bee: jo.leonardi-bee@nottingham.ac.uk

Category: R. Respiratory. Keywords: smoking, cigarettes, parents, siblings, children, systematic review with meta-analysis, journal watch.
Synopsis edited by Dr Paul Schaefer, Toledo, Ohio. Posted on Global Family Doctor 11 September 2011

Pearls are an independent product of the Cochrane primary care group and are meant for educational use and not to guide clinical care.

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