Parental smoking and infant respiratory infection: how important is not smoking in the same room with the baby?
OBJECTIVE
We sought to quantify the effect of good smoking hygiene on infant risk of respiratory tract infection in the first 12 months of life.


METHODS
A cohort of 4486 infants in Tasmania, Australia, was followed from birth to 12 months of age for hospitalization with respiratory infection. Case ascertainment was 98.2%.


RESULTS
Relative to the infants of mothers who smoked postpartum but never in the same room with their infants, risk of hospitalization was 56% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 13%, 119%) higher if the mother smoked in the same room with the infant, 73% (95% CI = 18%, 157%) higher if the mother smoked when holding the infant, and 95% (95% CI = 28%, 298%) higher if the mother smoked while feeding the infant.


CONCLUSIONS
Parents who smoke should not smoke with their infants present in the same room.
Blizzard
Leigh
L
Menzies Centre for Population Health Research, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australian Capital Territory, Australia. leigh.blizzard@utas.edu.au
Ponsonby
Anne-Louise
AL
Dwyer
Terence
T
Venn
Alison
A
Cochrane
Jennifer A
JA
D000328:Adult; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006798:Housing; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007224:Infant Care / Q000592:standards*; D007229:Infant Welfare; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D009034:Mother-Child Relations; D009035:Mothers / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D013648:Tasmania / Q000453:epidemiology; D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution / Q000009:adverse effects*
D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution