Comparison of Levels of Three Tobacco Smoke Exposure Biomarkers in Children of Smokers

E. Melinda Mahabee-Gittens, Georg E. Matt, Lili Ding and Ashley L. Merianos
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E. Melinda Mahabee-Gittens: Division of Emergency Medicine, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH 45229, USA
Georg E. Matt: Department of Psychology, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA 92123, USA
Lili Ding: Division of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH 45229, USA
Ashley L. Merianos: School of Human Services, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45221, USA

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 22, 1-12

Abstract: Objectives : Cotinine, 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanol (NNAL), and N-oxides are biomarkers of tobacco smoke exposure (TSE) used to assess short- and longer-term TSE. The objective of this study was to assess the associations between these TSE biomarkers, sociodemographics, parental smoking, and child TSE patterns among 0–17-year-olds. Methods : A convenience sample of 179 pediatric patients (mean (SD) age = 7.9 (4.3) years) who lived with ?1 smoker and who had parental assessments completed and urine samples analyzed for the three TSE biomarkers of interest were included. Biomarker levels were log-transformed, univariate regression models were built and Pearson correlations were assessed. Results : In total, 100% of children had detectable levels of cotinine and >96% had detectable NNAL and N-oxide levels. The geometric means of cotinine, NNAL, and N-oxide levels were 10.1 ng/mL, 25.3 pg/mL, and 22.9 pg/mL, respectively. The mean (SD) number of daily cigarettes smoked by parents was 10.6 (6.0) cigarettes. Child age negatively correlated with urinary cotinine ( r = ?0.202, p = 0.007) and log NNAL levels ( r = ?0.275, p < 0.001). The highest log-cotinine levels were in children who were younger, of African American race, and whose parents had a lower education, an annual income ?USD15,000, and no smoking bans. The highest log-NNAL and N-oxide levels were in children whose parents had a lower education, had no smoking bans, and were around higher numbers of cigarettes. Conclusion : Children of smokers who were younger, African American, and had no smoking bans had the highest TSE biomarker levels. Targeted interventions are needed to reduce TSE levels among high-risk children.

Keywords: children; biomarkers; tobacco smoke exposure; secondhand smoke; thirdhand smoke (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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