Passive smoking in the Odessa region, Ukraine: prevalence and association with respiratory diseases in infants

Abstract

Researchers have known for over 20years that the concentration of toxic substances in the auxiliary jet of a tobacco cigarette (i.e. the jet that is emitted at the front of the lit cigarette) is much more harmful than in the smoke that is inhaled directly. This auxiliary jet is what causes the opportunity for passive smoking among individuals in the same environment. Furthermore mothers with new born infants who hold their child close, breathe out air that has toxic substances in the baby’s face for the child to breathe in. This study investigated the prevalence of passive smoking exposure among infants in the Odessa region and to determine the frequency of infants-passive smokers with pneumonia of different severity among hospitalized infants to the Odessa Regional Children’s Clinical Hospital. The questionnaire covered information on prevalence of smoking at home, mother nicotine dependence, frequency and severity of diseases in children. Two hundred infants were recruited from infants who visited the outpatient clinic № 6 of the Odessa region in “The Day of healthy child”. The survey revealed an unexpectedly high prevalence of second hand smoke exposure among infants of the Odessa region (24.5%). The prevalence of IUGR, HIE, recurrent respiratory diseases among infants – passive smokers is significantly higher than among infants which are free from second hand smoke exposure.