Abstract
This study aimed to investigate the association between passive smoking and physical and psychological health in Chinese nurses. Participants of this cross-sectional study comprised 2,484 non-smoking nurses. Passive smoking and demographic information were assessed using a self-administered questionnaire. Physical, psychological, and overall health status of nurses were measured using the Cornell Medical Index (CMI) health questionnaire. Multivariate-adjusted odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for nurses' health were estimated by exposure to passive smoking using unconditional logistic regression models. A total of 1,219 nurses (49.07%) were exposed to passive smoking. Of these, 609 (24.52%), 160 (6.44%), and 587 (23.63%) nurses had poorer physical, mental, and overall health, respectively. After adjusting for other confounding factors, compared with the non-passive smoking group, passive smoking was associated with poor physical (OR = 1.51, 95% CI: 1.25–1.83), mental (OR = 1.48, 95% CI: 1.07–2.07), and overall (OR = 1.58, 95% CI: 1.30–1.93) health of nurses, respectively. We also carried out subgroup analyses stratified by age, department, and professional title, which showed that most findings supported the main results. This study demonstrated that exposure to passive smoking was a risk factor for overall decreased physical and mental health status among Chinese nurses.
Highlights
The tobacco pandemic is one of the most severe public health threats
Our study included 2,484 female nurses, and 49% of them were exposed to passive smoking
Nurses who were exposed to passive smoking were younger, worked mostly in the medical and surgical departments, had lower professional titles, were likelier to consume alcohol, had irregular diets, had shorter sleep durations, and had poor sleep quality (p < 0.05)
Summary
The tobacco pandemic is one of the most severe public health threats. It is well-known that subjection to second-hand smoke (SHS) has prolonged adverse health effects, and there is no safe level of exposure [1]. Previous studies have demonstrated that passive smoking is closely related to several diseases, including respiratory [5] and cardiovascular diseases [6], cancers [7], and mental disorders [8, 9]. Research on SHS exposure is increasing among women and children because of their lower smoking rates, indicating that passive smoking is a more serious public health problem than active smoking in these groups [10]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
