Home secondhand smoke exposure in children: Influence of race/ethnicity, home smoking rules, and smoking prevalence

Secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure leads to disease and premature death in children with the home being a primary exposure source. This study identifies correlates of home SHS in children. Data are based on a random-digit-dial telephone child health survey conducted in 2005 among Los Angeles County adult residents (n=6,032). Two-way and stratified analyses were used to examine SHS correlates, confounding and interactions, followed by logistic regression to assess complex models. Correlates examined included race/ethnicity, age of child, federal poverty level (FPL), education, home smoking rules, smoking prevalence, marital status, and depression. SHS exposure was defined as parent reporting child exposed to tobacco smoke in home in past 7 days. Pairwise comparisons showed that SHS was significantly higher among African American children (11.2%) than White (6.3%), Asian (4.1%) and Latino children (3.2%). Higher home SHS exposure among African Americans may be due, in part, to home smoking rules and smoking prevalence. African Americans were significantly more likely to permit smoking in the home (17.1%) than Whites (7.8%), Asians (6.7%) and Latinos (4.0%). African Americans were also significantly more likely to be smokers (24.1%) than Whites (13.5%), Asians (5.3%) and Latinos (5.4%). Significant associations between SHS and age of child, FPL, education, home smoking rules, and smoking varied by race/ethnic group (i.e., interactions detected). Logistic regression confirmed independent contribution of smoking and home smoking rules (particularly among African Americans) in SHS exposure. Findings suggest that intervention strategies to reduce home SHS should be tailored to the SHS correlates of each race/ethnic group.