Tobacco Smoke Exposure, Urban and Environmental Factors as Respiratory Disease Predictors in Italian Adolescents.

Valeria Bellisario,Roberto Bono,Carlo Gulotta,Massimiliano Bugiani,Giulio Mengozzi,Alberto Perboni,Giulia Squillacioti,Stefano Levra,Pavilio Piccioni,Elena Grignani

doi:10.3390/ijerph16204048

Abstract

Risk monitoring in childhood is useful to estimate harmful health effects at later stages of life. Thus, here we have assessed the effects of tobacco smoke exposure and environmental pollution on the respiratory health of Italian children and adolescents using spirometry and the forced oscillation technique (FOT). For this purpose, we recruited 188 students aged 6–19 years living in Chivasso, Italy, and collected from them the following data: (1) one filled out questionnaire; (2) two respiratory measurements (i.e., spirometry and FOT); and (3) two urine tests for Cotinine (Cot) and 15-F2t-Isoprostane (15-F2t-IsoP) levels. We found a V-shape distribution for both Cotinine and 15-F2t-IsoP values, according to age groups, as well as a direct correlation (p = 0.000) between Cotinine and tobacco smoke exposure. These models demonstrate that tobacco smoke exposure, traffic, and the living environment play a fundamental role in the modulation of asthma-like symptoms (p = 0.020) and respiratory function (p = 0.007). Furthermore, the results from the 11–15-year group indicate that the growth process is a protective factor against the risk of respiratory disease later in life. Lastly, the FOT findings highlight the detrimental effects of tobacco smoke exposure and urbanization and traffic on respiratory health and asthma-like symptoms, respectively. Overall, monitoring environmental and behavioral factors in childhood can provide valuable information for preventing respiratory diseases in adulthood.

Highlights

Childhood is a crucial stage of life during which harmful lifestyle habits can be and unconsciously acquired
We show that tobacco smoke exposure is an inductor of asthma-like symptoms (Figure 2, left-hand side) and a factor that increases both the FEV1/forced vital capacity (FVC) ratio (Figure 3A) and the total resistance measured by forced oscillation technique (FOT) (Figure 3B)
Our findings indicate that monitoring childhood growth trajectories can provide us with important information that can be used to conceive and structure early interventions aimed at preventing the development of health risk in adolescents, a strategy that has already proven successful in reducing the incidence of age-related chronic illnesses such as respiratory or cardiovascular disease and obesity [37]

Summary

Introduction

Childhood is a crucial stage of life during which harmful lifestyle habits can be and unconsciously acquired. This can lead to changes in metabolic pathways and unfavorable health effects in adulthood [1,2]. Monitoring hazard conditions and lifestyle habits during growth has been shown to be a useful parameter to estimate different risky conditions later in life, such as. Res. Public Health 2019, 16, 4048; doi:10.3390/ijerph16204048 www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph

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