Online Program

279030
Second-hand smoking and severe vision impairment among US adults aged 40 and older


Monday, November 4, 2013 : 12:30 p.m. - 12:50 p.m.

Xinzhi Zhang, Department of Health Services Administration, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL
Huabin Luo, PhD, Mod/Hcm, Mount Olive College, Mount Olive, NC
Objectives: To examine the relationship between second-hand smoking, severe vision impairment, and age-related eye diseases (ARED) among US adults

Methods: We analyzed a sample of 25,377 participants aged 40 and older in 2008 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Second-hand smoking was identified from the questions, “On how many of the past 7 days, did someone smoke in your indoor workplace while you were there?” and “On how many of the past 7 days, did anyone smoke in your home while you were there?” Severe vision impairment and ARED was identified by participants' self-report. Stata 11 (College Park, TX) survey procedures were used for complex survey design. Results were considered significant if p<0.05.

Results: Approximately 6.32% (95% Confidence Interval [CI]: 5.65%-6.98%) of U.S. non-smoking adults aged 40 and older reported second-hand smoking at home and 6.99% (95% CI: 6.02%-7.95%) reported second-hand smoking at work. Severe vision impairment was significantly associated with second-hand smoking at home (odds ratio [OR]=1.93, 95%CI 1.17,3.17) after controlling for other covariates, but was not associated with second-hand smoking at work (OR=1.49, 95%CI 0.64, 3.46). However, no statistically significant associations were found between second-hand smoking and self-reported age-related macular degeneration, cataract, diabetic retinopathy, or glaucoma.

Conclusions: We found significant association between second-hand smoking and severe vision impairment among U.S. adults. Public health policy is needed to fully protect non-smokers from exposure to passive smoking, especially among vulnerable population to prevent them from tobacco-caused diseases and addiction.

Learning Areas:

Basic medical science applied in public health
Chronic disease management and prevention
Environmental health sciences
Epidemiology
Public health or related laws, regulations, standards, or guidelines
Public health or related public policy

Learning Objectives:
Assess the relationship between second-hand smoking, severe vision impairment, and age-related eye diseases (ARED) among US adults

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have been the principal or co-principal of many projects focusing on the epidemiology of vision impairment and eye diseases. Among my scientific interests has been the causes of vision loss and eye diseases and prevention strategies.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.