Measuring infant exposure to environmental tobacco smoke.
Methods to measure infant exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) are needed to identify infants at highest risk for ETS-related health problems. The purpose of this study was to validate measures sensitive to changes in levels of infant exposure to ETS and to develop a predictive model of infant exposure to ETS. Fifteen infants of smoking mothers were followed from birth to 6 weeks of age. Exposure to ETS was measured by using a smoking habits questionnaire, cigarette "butt" collection, infant urine nicotine and cotinine levels, and ambient nicotine (personal air monitors). The 24-hour cigarette butt collection was the best predictor of acute (adjusted r2 = .83) and chronic exposure (adjusted r2 = .47) measured by infant urinary nicotine and cotinine levels when the infants were 2 weeks of age. Including scores on the smoking habits questionnaire and ambient nicotine levels increased the adjusted r2 to .88 and .61, respectively.
Stepans
M B
MB
School of Nursing, University of Wyoming, Laramie, USA.
Fuller
S G
SG
D000208:Acute Disease; D000328:Adult; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003367:Cotinine / Q000652:urine; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000032:analysis*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007229:Infant Welfare; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology; D009538:Nicotine / Q000032:analysis / Q000652:urine; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012307:Risk Factors; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution / Q000032:analysis*
D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution; D009538:Nicotine; D003367:Cotinine