Do people who were passive smokers during childhood have increased risk of long-term work disability? A 15-month prospective study of nurses' aides.
BACKGROUND
Regular inhalation of tobacco smoke, whether it be voluntary or not, may have profound negative effects on the body. Also intervertebral discs may be affected. The objective of the present study was to test the hypothesis that nurses' aides who were exposed to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) at home during childhood have an increased risk of long-term sick leave.


METHODS
The sample comprised 5563 Norwegian nurses' aides, not on sick leave when they completed a mailed questionnaire in 1999. Of these, 4744 (85.3%) completed a second questionnaire 15 months later. The outcome measure was the incidence proportion of long-term sick leave during the 12 months prior to the follow-up.


RESULTS
Respondents who reported at baseline that they had been exposed to ETS at home during childhood had increased risk of sick leave exceeding 14 days attributed to neck pain (odds ratio (OR) = 1.34; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.04-1.73), high back pain (OR=1.49; CI: 1.07-2.06), low back pain (OR=1.21; CI: 0.97-1.50), and any illness (OR=1.23; CI: 1.07-1.42), after adjustments for demographic and familial characteristics, former smoking, current smoking, physical leisure-time activities, work factors, prior neck injury, and affective symptoms. They also had increased risk of sick leave exceeding 8 weeks (OR=1.29; CI: 1.08-1.55).


CONCLUSIONS
The study supports the hypothesis that nurses' aides who were exposed to ETS at home during childhood have an increased risk of long-term sickness absence.
Eriksen
Willy
W
Department of General Practice and Community Medicine, University of Oslo, Norway. w.b.eriksen@samfunnsmed.uio.no
D000328:Adult; D000342:Affective Symptoms; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007899:Leisure Activities; D017116:Low Back Pain; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019838:Neck Injuries; D019547:Neck Pain; D009664:Norway; D009728:Nursing Assistants; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D018582:Sick Leave; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors; D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution / Q000009:adverse effects*
D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution