title: Urinary cotinine concentrations in preschool children showed positive associations with smoking fathers.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study aimed to test the association between fathers' smoking behaviour and urinary cotinine levels among preschool children exposed to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS). Possible factors influencing this association were also explored.
  
  
  METHODS
  We recruited 368 smoking fathers with children aged five to six from five preschools in the city of Changsha, China. Urine samples were collected from the children, and the fathers were interviewed face-to-face. We adjusted for potential confounding factors with linear regression models.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The geometric mean of the cotinine concentration in the children's urine was 3.94 ng/mL (95% confidence interval 3.71-4.22). In multivariate analyses, the important predictors of urinary cotinine levels among children, after adjusted confounding factors, were the number of cigarettes smoked in front of the children at home per day (B = 0.414, p < 0.001), the number of cigarettes smoked by the father in front of the children at home (B = 0.105, p < 0.001) and the mean duration of the children's exposure to ETS at home (B = 0.111; p = 0.046).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Urinary cotinine concentrations of children exposed to ETS at home were positively associated with smoking fathers and smoking behaviours and the mean duration of ETS exposure at home. Targeted interventions are urgently needed to reduce children's exposure.
authors.affiliation: Department of Social Medicine and Health Management, School of Public Health, Central South University, Hunan, China.|School of Nursing, Xinjiang Medical University, Xinjiang, China.
authors.forename: Yun
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Social Medicine and Health Management, School of Public Health, Central South University, Hunan, China.
authors.forename: Mei
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Hunan Academy of Inspection and Quarantine, Hunan, China.
authors.forename: Zhiqiang
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, The Third Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Hunan, China.
authors.forename: Lang
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Tian
authors.affiliation: Department of Social Medicine and Health Management, School of Public Health, Central South University, Hunan, China.
authors.forename: Lu
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Niu
authors.affiliation: Department of Social Medicine and Health Management, School of Public Health, Central South University, Hunan, China.
authors.forename: Shuiyuan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Xiao
mesh_terms: D015415:Biomarkers / Q000652:urine; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D003367:Cotinine / Q000652:urine*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000032:analysis / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D010332:Paternal Behavior; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution / Q000032:analysis / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution; D003367:Cotinine
keywords: Cotinine; Environmental tobacco smoke; Preschool children; Smoking fathers; Urine sample