Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2011 Sep;128(3):e623-30.
doi: 10.1542/peds.2011-0640. Epub 2011 Aug 22.

Ethnic variability in persistent asthma after in utero tobacco exposure

Kwei Akuete  1 , Sam S Oh, Shannon Thyne, Jose R Rodriguez-Santana, Rocio Chapela, Kelley Meade, William Rodriguez-Cintron, Michael LeNoir, Jean G Ford, L Keoki Williams, Pedro C Avila, Esteban González Burchard, Haig Tcheurekdjian
Affiliations

Ethnic variability in persistent asthma after in utero tobacco exposure

Kwei Akuete et al. Pediatrics. 2011 Sep.

Abstract

Background: The effects of in utero tobacco smoke exposure on childhood respiratory health have been investigated, and outcomes have been inconsistent.

Objective: To determine if in utero tobacco smoke exposure is associated with childhood persistent asthma in Mexican, Puerto Rican, and black children.

Patients and methods: There were 295 Mexican, Puerto Rican, and black asthmatic children, aged 8 to 16 years, who underwent spirometry, and clinical data were collected from the parents during a standardized interview. The effect of in utero tobacco smoke exposure on the development of persistent asthma and related clinical outcomes was evaluated by logistic regression.

Results: Children with persistent asthma had a higher odds of exposure to in utero tobacco smoke, but not current tobacco smoke, than did children with intermittent asthma (odds ratio [OR]: 3.57; P = .029). Tobacco smoke exposure from parents in the first 2 years of life did not alter this association. Furthermore, there were higher odds of in utero tobacco smoke exposure in children experiencing nocturnal symptoms (OR: 2.77; P = .048), daily asthma symptoms (OR: 2.73; P = .046), and emergency department visits (OR: 3.85; P = .015) within the year.

Conclusions: Exposure to tobacco smoke in utero was significantly associated with persistent asthma among Mexican, Puerto Rican, and black children compared with those with intermittent asthma. These results suggest that smoking cessation during pregnancy may lead to a decrease in the incidence of persistent asthma in these populations.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Odds of tobacco smoke exposure for various asthma outcomes. Data are presented as ORs and 95% CIs. ORs were adjusted for variables noted in “Statistical Analysis.”
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Johnson K, Posner SF, Biermann J, et al. Recommendations to improve preconception health and health care: United States—a report of the CDC/ATSDR Preconception Care Work Group and the Select Panel on Preconception Care. MMWR Recomm Rep. 2006;55(RR-6):1–23 - PubMed
    1. Best D. From the American Academy of Pediatrics: Technical report—secondhand and prenatal tobacco smoke exposure. Pediatrics. 2009;124(5). Available at: www.pediatrics.org/cgi/content/full/124/5/e1017 - PubMed
    1. DiFranza JR, Aligne CA, Weitzman M. Prenatal and postnatal environmental tobacco smoke exposure and children's health. Pediatrics. 2004;113(suppl 4):1007–1015 - PubMed
    1. Wang L, Pinkerton KE. Detrimental effects of tobacco smoke exposure during development on postnatal lung function and asthma. Birth Defects Res C Embryo Today. 2008;84(1):54–60 - PubMed
    1. Stick SM, Burton PR, Gurrin L, Sly PD, LeSouef PN. Effects of maternal smoking during pregnancy and a family history of asthma on respiratory function in newborn infants. Lancet. 1996;348(9034):1060–1064 - PubMed

Publication types

Substances