The impact of passive smoking on the frequency of respiratory infections in preschool children

The aim of this study was to determine whether passive smoking increases the frequency of respiratory infections in children. A retrospective cohort study was conducted at Dr Mira Pavlov primary health care pediatric clinics in Sućidar, Split, during the 2011- 2013 period. The study included 203 preschool children brought to pediatric clinics by parents for medical examination. Children were divided into two groups: 114 children whose household members smoked and 89 children whose household members did not smoke. We analyzed the frequency of respiratory infections in children during the 2011-2013 period. All necessary data were obtained by a questionnaire fi lled out by parents and from the children’ electronic medical records. The diff erence in the frequency of bronchitis between the children whose household members smoked and whose household members did not smoke was at the border of statistical signifi cance (P=0.052). The number of bronchitis cases was statistically signifi cantly higher in the group of children whose household members smoked at home compared to the group of children whose household members did not smoke (P=0.008). The number of cigarettes smoked per day at home correlated statistically signifi cantly with the number of bronchitis cases in children (P=0.003). Maternal smoking statistically signifi cantly increased the number of pneumonias in children compared to paternal smoking (P=0.001). Children with allergic diseases whose household members smoked did not have a statistically signifi cantly higher number of respiratory infections compared to children with allergic diseases whose household members did not smoke.

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