Abstract
Smoking prevalence stays high among adults in China, which also makes children exposed to secondhand smoke (SHS) in their households. This study aimed to investigate the status of SHS exposure among Chinese children, identify the influencing factors, and determine “co-exposure” to tobacco and other smokes in households. A total of 41,439 children aged 6–17 years were recruited from 30 provinces in Mainland China through the first Chinese Environmental Exposure-Related Human Activity Model Survey for Children (CEERHAPS-C). Information regarding children’s demographics, socioeconomic status, and exposures to SHS and solid fuel smoke (SFS) in households was collected using a comprehensive questionnaire. Factors that affected exposures to household smokes were identified using multivariable logistic regressions. The overall prevalence of household SHS exposure was 41.7%, and the average duration was 14.7 ± 14.6 min/day among the exposed participants. Prevalence of household SHS exposure increased among children in older age groups and with parents in lower education levels. Among SHS-exposed children, 34% had co-exposure to SFS, and they had a significantly higher risk of co-exposure than non-SHS exposed children (odds ratio = 1.12, 95% confidence interval: 1.061, 1.162). The prevalence of household SHS exposure remains high among school-age children, suggesting the need to develop and implement smoking-free home programs.
Highlights
Smoking prevalence stays high in China, which inevitably leads to wide exposure to secondhand smoke (SHS) among children [1,2]
We described the prevalence of SHS exposure and co-exposure to SHS and solid fuel smoke (SFS) among school-age children
The prevalence and duration of SHS exposure both increased in older age groups, e.g., the highest prevalence of 47.6% and the longest average duration of 17.1 min/day occurred in the 15–17 years group
Summary
Smoking prevalence stays high in China, which inevitably leads to wide exposure to secondhand smoke (SHS) among children [1,2]. China is the largest producer and consumer of tobacco products in the world. Active smokers in China account for near 30% of the world’s total number of smokers, ranking the first in number [3]. The 2018 China Adult Tobacco Survey showed that the smoking rate was 26.6% among people ages 15 and older, and the number of daily smokers was 269 million in. China [2,4]. Exposure to SHS has become a serious public health issue in China, with 44.9% of Chinese. Res. Public Health 2020, 17, 5524; doi:10.3390/ijerph17155524 www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph
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