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
. 2016 Apr;12(2):119-25.
doi: 10.1089/chi.2015.0083. Epub 2016 Jan 26.

Passive Smoke Exposure and Its Effects on Cognition, Sleep, and Health Outcomes in Overweight and Obese Children

Catherine L Davis  1 , Martha S Tingen  1 , Jenny Jia  1 , Forrest Sherman  1 , Celestine F Williams  1 , Kruti Bhavsar  1 , Nancy Wood  1   2 , Jessica Kobleur  1   3 , Jennifer L Waller  4
Affiliations

Passive Smoke Exposure and Its Effects on Cognition, Sleep, and Health Outcomes in Overweight and Obese Children

Catherine L Davis et al. Child Obes. 2016 Apr.

Abstract

Background: Passive smoke exposure (PSE) may be a risk factor for childhood overweight and obesity and is associated with worse neurocognitive development, cognition, and sleep in children. The purpose of the study is to examine the effects of PSE on adiposity, cognition, and sleep in overweight and obese children using an objective measure of PSE.

Methods: Overweight or obese children (n = 222) aged 7-11 (9.4 ± 1.1 years; 58% black; 58% female; 85% obese) were recruited from schools near Augusta, Georgia, over the course of the school year from 2003-2006 for a clinical trial, with data analyzed in 2009-2010. Passive smoke exposure was measured with plasma cotinine. Health, cognitive, and sleep measures and parent report of smoke exposure were obtained.

Results: Overweight and obese children with PSE had greater overall and central adiposity than nonexposed overweight and obese children (p < 0.03). However, PSE was unrelated to prediabetes, insulin resistance, or visceral fat. PSE was linked to poorer cognitive scores (p < 0.04) independent of adiposity, but was not related to sleep-disordered breathing.

Conclusions: PSE is associated with fatness and poorer cognition in children. Tailored interventions that target multiple health risk factors including nutrition, physical activity, and tobacco use in children and families are needed to prevent adverse health outcomes related to tobacco use and obesity.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

<b>Figure 1.</b>
Figure 1.
Smoke exposure and obesity measures. Means and standard error bars are shown. Panel A shows waist circumference, Panel B shows BMI z-score, and Panel C shows percent body fat via dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry. Asterisks indicate that children exposed to tobacco smoke were more obese compared to those that were not exposed. *p < 0.05. **p < 0.01.
<b>Figure 2.</b>
Figure 2.
Smoke exposure and cognitive performance. Means and standard error bars are shown. Asterisks indicate that children exposed to tobacco smoke scored poorly on cognitive tests compared to those that were not exposed. *p < 0.05. **p < 0.01.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. US Department of Health and Human Services. The Health Consequences of Smoking: 50 Years of Progress. A Report of the Surgeon General. US Department of Health and Human Services, 2014. Available at www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/sgr/50th-anniversary/index.htm Last accessed August5, 2014
    1. WHO. Tobacco [Fact Sheet]. WHO, 2014. Available at www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs339/en/# Last accessed August5, 2014
    1. Ogden CL, Carroll MD, Kit BK, et al. . Prevalence of childhood and adult obesity in the United States, 2011–2012. JAMA 2014;311:806–814 - PMC - PubMed
    1. Strauss RS, Pollack HA. Epidemic increase in childhood overweight, 1986–1998. JAMA 2001;286:2845–2848 - PubMed
    1. Strong WB, Malina RM, Blimkie CJ, et al. . Evidence based physical activity for school-age youth. J Pediatr 2005;146:732–737 - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms

LinkOut - more resources