title: Children's exposure to parental smoking in West Germany.
abstract: In this study, we derive national estimates of the prevalence of children's exposure to parental smoking in West Germany. The estimates are based on a national health survey conducted in 1987 and refer to those parents living in the same household as the child. Estimated prevalences of maternal smoking range from 18.9% among children aged < 2 years to more than 30% among 2-5 and 6-13 year old children. Estimates of paternal smoking prevalence are considerably higher: 33.7% among children < 2 years old and 43.1% and 46.8% among 2-5 and 6-13 year old children, respectively. The prevalence of at least one smoking household member was 49.9% among 2-5 year old children, while a clear majority of children aged < 2 years (58.8%) and 6-13 (67.5%) were living in a household with at least one smoker. For all age groups, prevalence of maternal and paternal smoking was considerably higher among children of less-educated parents than among children of better-educated parents. Given the high prevalence of parental smoking and the association of parental smoking with a variety of respiratory diseases in children, a large proportion of these diseases could be prevented by efforts to reduce smoking among parents.
authors.affiliation: Unit of Epidemiology, University of Ulm, Germany.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Brenner
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mielck
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005860:Germany, West / Q000453:epidemiology; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010290:Parents; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*
chemical_list: D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution