Prevalence of early childhood exposure to second hand smoke among Latinos: Preliminary findings from the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCSH/SOL)

Purpose: To evaluate the prevalence of early childhood (<13 years) exposure to secondhand smoke (SHS) in the home environment among U.S. Hispanic/Latinos (H/L) living in Bronx, Chicago, Miami, and San Diego communities. Background: Exposure to SHS is associated with higher morbidity and mortality risk. Current home SHS exposure levels among US children and adults remain high (60% and 40%, respectively). Moreover, home SHS exposure during childhood is significantly associated with cigarette smoking behavior in adulthood. However, little is known about home SHS exposure in childhood among H/L groups. Methods: The sample consists of 10,871 HCHS/SOL participants (60% women), ages 18-74 in 2008-11, of diverse ethnic backgrounds, and from the two initial recruitment waves. Based on self-report data, H/L background was classified as Cuban, Dominican, Puerto Rican, Mexican, Central/South American and Others (more than one ethnic heritage). SHS exposure was assessed via the HCHS/SOL Tobacco Use Questionnaire. Design-based estimates of home SHS exposure prevalence by gender and H/L group are presented. Results: The overall prevalence of childhood SHS exposure was 50.13%, higher for men (53.72%) than women (47.72 %). Among the six H/L groups Cubans and Puerto Ricans had the highest childhood SHS exposure prevalence (68.60% and 57.90%), followed by Others (53.80%), Dominicans (51.2%), Mexicans (44.80%), and Central/South Americans (40.20%). Implications: This study demonstrated variation in the prevalence of SHS exposure during early childhood among H/L groups and within gender. Future investigations should focus on gender and ethnic group disparities, as well as developing effective SHS control strategies.