THE UCLA POPULATION STUDIES OF CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE RESPIRATORY-DISEASE .7. RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PARENTAL SMOKING AND CHILDRENS LUNG-FUNCTION

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Abstract
Results of previous studies of the impact of parents'' smoking on children''s lung function were conflicting. To evaluate further the effect of passive smoking on the lung function of children, respiratory questionnaire and lung function results obtained during field testing of residents (aggregated according to household) of 4 census tracts in the Los Angeles [California, USA] area were analyzed. White, non-Hispanic, nonsmoking nonasthmatic children (971) residing in households in which the smoking status of both parents was known were studied; households with ex-smoking parents were excluded from analysis. These children were divided into 3 categories related to parental smoking status: at least mother smokes, only father smokes and neither parent smokes. Prediction equations for several indexes of forced expired volume and flow were derived separately for boys and girls 7-17 yr of age. Analysis of variance was used to compare lung function residuals of children in the 3 different passive smoking categories. Analysis was performed separately on younger (7-11 yr of age) and older (12-17 yr of age) children of each sex. Among younger male children, residual values were significantly lower in the maternal smoking category than in the other 2 household categories for maximal flow and maximal flow after exhalation of 25% of forced vital capacity (FVC) (P .ltoreq. 0.05); no differences were noted between the paternal-smoking only and nonsmoking household categories. A trend toward similar results was found in older male children, which approached significance (P < 0.01). Among females, forced expiratory flow during the middle half of the FVC and maximal flow after exhalation of 75% of FVC were significantly lower in relation to maternal smoking in the older children only (P .ltoreq. 0.05). ANOVA [analysis of variance] revealed no decrement in lung function in relation to passive smoking among children with asthma or bronchitis (n = 138). No differences were noted by chi-square analysis in the frequency of any respiratory symptom comparing children in the different passive exposure categories. Passive exposure to at least maternal smoking (but not to paternal smoking alone) affects the airways of younger boys. The apparent effect on the lung function of heavily exposed older girls is more likely to be confounded by selective underreporting of active smoking.

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