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 Progress has been made in creating smoke-free public places and
reducing secondhand smoke exposure among our nation’s youth, but
many remain exposed, said lead author Israel Agaku.
“The results also reaffirm the importance of implementing smoke-free
policies to protect youth from the dangers of secondhand smoke
exposure,” including in private settings, Agaku told Reuters Health
by email.
Researchers used data from the 2013 National Youth Tobacco Survey,
in which more than 18,000 U.S. students in grades six through 12
answered questions about where they had inhaled tobacco smoke from
someone who was smoking nearby over the last seven days. They also
described the smoke-free rules in their family homes and cars.
Most kids said smoking was prohibited at school, at home and in
cars, but secondhand smoke exposure was reported by about 48 percent
of those who had never used tobacco, 65 percent of former users, and
almost 80 percent of current tobacco users.
Among never-users, 35 percent said they had inhaled smoke indoors or
in outdoor public places, 27 percent at work, 17 percent at school
and 15 percent in a vehicle.
More than one in five never-smokers reported daily secondhand smoke
exposure, most often at home, the research team reported in
Pediatrics.
Less than 10 percent of those with no-smoking rules at home had been
exposed to smoke there, compared to almost 80 percent of
never-smokers with no rules about smoking in the home.
Current smokers, those who often skipped class, and those with
household members or friends who smoked were most likely to be
exposed to secondhand smoke.
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“Currently only 26 states and the District of Columbia have
comprehensive smoke-free laws that prohibit smoking in all indoor
areas of work sites, restaurants, and bars,” Agaku said.
“Moreover, many youth are not protected by smoke-free policies in
private settings, such as homes and vehicles,” Agaku said. “The home
and family vehicles are particularly important sources of secondhand
smoke exposure among youth because of the amount of time they spend
in these environments.”
There is no safe level of secondhand smoke exposure for children or
adults, and the only way to fully protect nonsmokers from the
adverse effects of secondhand smoke is to eliminate smoking in
indoor spaces, Agaku said.
“Separating smokers from nonsmokers, cleaning the air, and
ventilating buildings cannot completely eliminate exposure,” Agaku
said.
SOURCE: http://bit.ly/1Zr0NLB Pediatrics, online January 11, 2016.
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