Tobacco.org

Tobacco Smoke Exposure and Chronic Conditions of Childhood 

Two remarkable articles by Kwok et al1 and Brion et al2 in this month's Pediatrics tighten the evidence around tobacco smoke exposure and chronic conditions of childhood. Their work adds to previous research findings that demonstrated associations between tobacco smoke exposure and various childhood morbidities and mortality (Table 1).3 Indeed, 3 important categories of chronic conditions of childhood (asthma, obesity, and mental health disorders) have small-to-moderate independent associations with tobacco smoke exposure either during pregnancy or in the postnatal period. Dental caries are one of the most common chronic conditions of childhood, and a moderate independent association with tobacco smoke exposure has been described.4

View this table:

TABLE 1 Specific Health Effects of Prenatal and Postnatal Exposure to Tobacco Smoke

Following a large Hong Kong birth cohort, Kwok et al1 found an association between tobacco smoke exposure of pregnant mothers and subsequent child overweight. The study is methodologically important, because it examined this effect among mothers who themselves did not smoke but were exposed by the father. That paternal smoking also . . .

Jump to full article »