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. 2010 Jun 23:10:359.
doi: 10.1186/1471-2458-10-359.

Recent trends in exposure to secondhand smoke in the United States population

Chieh-I Chen  1 , Tanya Burton, Christine L Baker, Vera Mastey, David Mannino
Affiliations

Recent trends in exposure to secondhand smoke in the United States population

Chieh-I Chen et al. BMC Public Health. .

Abstract

Background: Previous research using the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES) data documented a significant downward trend in secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure between 1988 and 2002. The objective of this study was to assess whether the downward trend in exposure continued from 2001 through 2006.

Methods: We analyzed data from the 2001-2006 NHANES to estimate exposure of nonsmokers to SHS. Geometric means of serum cotinine levels for all nonsmokers were computed.

Results: Overall serum cotinine levels (95% Confidence Intervals) in 2001-2002, 2003-2004, and 2005-2006 were 0.06 ng/mL (0.05-0.07), 0.07 ng/mL (0.06-0.09), and 0.05 ng/mL (0.05-0.06), respectively. Subgroup analysis by age, gender, and race/ethnicity groups showed similar trends in cotinine levels. Children, males, and non-Hispanic Blacks had higher cotinine levels than adults, females, and non-Hispanic Whites and Mexican Americans, respectively. Insignificant P values from the Wald test indicate that serum cotinine levels did not differ over time.

Conclusions: The long-term trend of declining exposure to SHS among nonsmokers appears to have leveled off. However, disparities noted in previous research persist today, with the young, non-Hispanic Blacks, and males experiencing higher levels of exposure.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Geometric means and 95% confidence intervals for nonsmokers in the United States from 1988 through 2006. *Exposure data for 1998 through 2000 are derived from Pirkle et al [6] and embedded for comparison to current study findings.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Geometric means and 95% confidence intervals for nonsmokers in the United States by age and gender, 2001-2002, 2003-2004, and 2005-2006.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Geometric means and 95% confidence intervals for nonsmokers in the United States by race/ethnicity and gender, 2001-2002, 2003-2004, and 2005-2006. *Non-Hispanics.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Geometric means and 95% confidence intervals for nonsmokers in the United States by race/ethnicity, 2001-2002, 2003-2004, and 2005-2006. *Non-Hispanics.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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