Paternal smoking and increased risk of child malnutrition among families in rural Indonesia.
OBJECTIVE
To determine whether paternal smoking is associated with an increased risk of child malnutrition among families in rural Indonesia.


METHODS
The relation between paternal smoking and child malnutrition was examined in a population-based sample of 438 336 households in the Indonesia Nutrition and Health Surveillance System, 2000-2003. Main outcome measures were child underweight (weight-for-age Z score <-2) and stunting (height-for-age Z score <-2) and severe underweight and severe stunting, defined by respective Z scores <-3, for children aged 0-59 months of age.


RESULTS
The prevalence of paternal smoking was 73.7%. The prevalence of underweight and stunting was 29.4% and 31.4%, and of severe underweight and severe stunting was 5.2%, and 9.1%, respectively. After adjusting for child gender, child age, maternal age, maternal education, weekly per capita household expenditure and province, paternal smoking was associated with an increased risk of underweight (odds ratio (OR) 1.03, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.01 to 1.05, p = 0.001) and stunting (OR 1.11, 95% CI 1.09 to 1.13, p<0.001) and severe underweight (OR 1.06, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.10) p = 0.020) and severe stunting (OR 1.12, 95% CI 1.08 to 1.16, p<0.001).


CONCLUSIONS
Paternal smoking is associated with an increased risk of child malnutrition in families living in rural Indonesia.
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The Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore, MD, USA.
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D001827:Body Height / Q000502:physiology; D015362:Child Nutrition Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005220:Fathers; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007214:Indonesia / Q000453:epidemiology; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D009752:Nutritional Status / Q000502:physiology; D011204:Poverty Areas; D012423:Rural Health; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000191:economics / Q000453:epidemiology; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors