Prevalence and socioeconomic inequalities in indoor exposure to secondhand smoke at home among children 0–5 years in Ghana

Abstract

BackgroundDaily exposure to secondhand smoke (ESHS) among children can be fatal for their health. With increasing prevalence of smoking in low-income countries, particularly among low socioeconomic status (SES) groups amidst poor tobacco legislations, children in these countries can be at risk of ESHS at home. This study investigated the prevalence and socioeconomic inequalities in indoor daily of ESHS at home among children aged 0–5years in Ghana. MethodsPopulation-based data collected through interviews in 2014 in 4616 households, 98.5% response rate, were used. Logistic regression analyses were used to investigate socioeconomic inequalities in daily ESHS among children at home. ResultsOne out of every ten children was exposed to daily secondhand smoke at home. The proportion of children's ESHS by wealth quintile ranges from richest (6.5%) to poorest (46.3%). Children of male-headed households were at higher risk of daily ESHS (OR 1.71, CI 1.27–2.31). A child living in a household where the head had no formal education had four folds the risk of daily ESHS compared with another in a household headed by a person with higher educational attainment. In rural setting, a child living in a poorest household (measured by wealth index) had more than two folds the risk of daily ESHS compared with another in the richest household. Correspondingly, a child living in the poorest household in an urban area had 8 times (OR 8.05, CI 4.03–16.08) the risk of daily ESHS compared with the counterpart in the richest household. ConclusionsChildren from socioeconomically disadvantaged and male-headed households both in rural and urban areas were at higher risk of daily ESHS at homes. However, children in the poorest households in urban areas had the highest concentration of ESHS among socioeconomically disadvantaged children. Interventions to end smoking indoors at home is urgently needed to protect children from its harmful effects.