Secondhand smoke exposure at home among middle and high school students in the United States – does the type of tobacco product matter?

Introduction:
This text provides an analysis of the factors associated with secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure at home among middle and high school students in the USA. The study aims to estimate the SHS exposure prevalence, investigate the factors associated with SHS exposure, and evaluate whether the association is the same depending on the type of SHS exposure.

Key Points:

* The study is based on secondary data taken from the National Youth Tobacco Survey (NYTS) 2014.
* Three dependent variables were chosen for the analysis: current overall SHS exposure at home, current exposure to cigarette smoke at home, and current exposure to electronic cigarettes by a person who lives with the respondent.
* Several variables were selected which may be associated with SHS exposure, including age, sex, education, own smoking behavior, reactions towards a friend offering a cigarette, judgement of the harms of smoking, thoughts about harmful chemicals in tobacco products, and exposure to advertisements for cigarettes and other tobacco products on the internet.
* Binary logistic regression models were used to highlight the associations between SHS exposure and the independent variables, stratified by smoking status (ever vs. never).
* The results indicate that exposure to cigarettes is the main factor in SHS exposure, and that there is a considerable overlap between exposure to cigarette smoke and exposure to electronic cigarettes.
* The study also found that students who have already tried to smoke, students who claim they started to smoke after being offered a cigarette by a friend, and students who perceive advertisements for tobacco products are more likely to be exposed to SHS.
* The results are comparable overall for the three outcomes, but a higher variance can be explained for SHS exposure overall than for SHS exposure caused by electronic cigarettes or cigarettes in particular.

Main Message:
The study highlights the relevance of SHS exposure at home and the need for targeted tobacco control interventions. The findings suggest that legislation for the protection of non-smokers, such as the proposed rule by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, is a useful approach to tobacco control. Additionally, raising awareness through education and media campaigns and raising taxes are necessary to protect non-smokers at home as well as in other settings. The study also emphasizes the importance of reducing advertisements for tobacco products, including electronic cigarettes, to protect non-smokers from SHS exposure.

Fischer, Florian, and Alexander Kraemer. “Secondhand Smoke Exposure at Home among Middle and High School Students in the United States – Does the Type of Tobacco Product Matter?” BMC Public Health 17, no. 1 (December 2017): 98. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-017-4019-z.