Abstract
This survey sought to measure the respiratory health effects and the prevalence of second-hand smoke exposure among school children. A sample of 370 parents selected from primary health care centres in Zarqa governorate, Jordan. International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) questionnaire was used to gather the data. Descriptive statistics, Person correlation coefficient, and Pearson Chi-Square were used to analyse the data. The prevalence of exposure was 3.82 hours/day. The main location for exposure was at home (22.1%), with the homes of others (17.3%) and the in vehicle exposure (14.3%) being the next two most commonly cited indoor locations. A significant association was found between exposure to second-hand smoke at home, indoors-other, in vehicles, and in the restaurants and other recreational areas, and asthma and rhinitis symptoms. The number of rooms and people per room, parents' educational achievement were also associated with respiratory symptoms of children. These results shed light on the importance to protect children from the harm of smoking and to carry out home smoke free policy.
Highlights
The impact of smoking in the population has become a growing concern throughout the world
A total of 400 parents participated in this study, 370 were completed the survey and 30 parents were withdrawn from the study for personal reasons not related to the study
In contrast to previous findings, this association was not limited to the household exposure, rather it extends to another person’s house, transportations and other places where children have been vulnerable to Secondhand smoke (SHS)
Summary
The impact of smoking in the population has become a growing concern throughout the world. Secondhand smoke is a mixture of gases and fine particles that includes smoke from a burning tobacco side stream smoke (cigarettes, pipe, or cigar) and mainstream smoke (smoke that exhaled by smokers). It includes more than 7, 000 chemicals, including hundreds that are toxic and about 70 that can cause cancer [4]. Half of the children in the world are exposed to SHS, mostly in their homes. This high level of exposure, coupled with the evidence that SHS causes illness in children, and suggests an extensive public health warning for children [3]. The study found cotinine in saliva among eight of the 20 mothers with neonates (1-2 days old), implying in-utero SHS exposure [6]
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