title: Respiratory symptoms and low tar cigarette smoking--a longitudinal study on young people.
abstract: Longitudinal data on the effect of low tar cigarette smoking on respiratory symptoms was collected from a sample of Finnish young people born in 1966, by mailed questionnaires in 1979, 1983 and 1985. Cough was 3 to 6 times more common than expected after starting smoking low tar brands (1-10 mg tar). The increase in cough was the same as with those who started middle tar cigarette smoking (11-18 mg). Before starting smoking, the low tar cigarette smokers did not report more symptoms than the middle tar or nonsmokers. After a few years smoking cough and phlegm were 2 to 3 times more common in the low tar cigarette smokers than in the non-smokers but on the same level as in the middle tar cigarette smokers. Tar yield was not a significant predictor of symptoms in logistic regression analysis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, University of Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rimpelä
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Teperi
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D005387:Finland; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D012140:Respiratory Tract Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D012307:Risk Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects*