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BMC Public Health
Published in: BMC Public Health 1/2013

Open Access 01-12-2013 | Research article

A cross-sectional study of secondhand smoke exposure and respiratory symptoms in non-current smokers in the U.S. trucking industry: SHS exposure and respiratory symptoms

Authors: Francine Laden, Yueh-Hsiu Chiu, Eric Garshick, S Katharine Hammond, Jaime E Hart

Published in: BMC Public Health | Issue 1/2013

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Abstract

Background

Previous studies have suggested associations of adult exposures to secondhand smoke (SHS) with respiratory symptoms, but no study has focused on blue-collar industrial environments. We assessed the association between SHS and respiratory symptoms in 1,562 non-current smoking U.S. trucking industry workers.

Methods

Information on SHS exposure and respiratory health was obtained by questionnaire. Multiple logistic regression analyses were used to assess the associations of recent and lifetime exposures to SHS with chronic phlegm, chronic cough, and any wheeze, defined by American Thoracic Society criteria.

Results

In analyses adjusted for age, gender, race, childhood SHS exposure, former smoking, pack-years of smoking and years since quitting, body mass index, job title, region of the country, and urban residence, recent exposures to SHS were associated with all three respiratory symptoms (odds ratio (OR) = 1.46; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.00-2.13) for chronic cough, 1.55 (95% CI = 1.08-2.21) for chronic phlegm, and 1.76 (95% CI = 1.41-2.21) for any wheeze). Workplace exposure was the most important recent exposure. Childhood exposure to SHS was also associated with all three symptoms, but only statistically significantly for chronic phlegm (OR = 1.84; 95% CI = 1.24-2.75). Additional years of living with a smoker were associated with an increased risk, but there was no evidence of a dose–response, except for chronic phlegm.

Conclusions

In this group of trucking industry workers, childhood and recent exposures to SHS were related to respiratory symptoms.
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Metadata
Title
A cross-sectional study of secondhand smoke exposure and respiratory symptoms in non-current smokers in the U.S. trucking industry: SHS exposure and respiratory symptoms
Authors
Francine Laden
Yueh-Hsiu Chiu
Eric Garshick
S Katharine Hammond
Jaime E Hart
Publication date
01-12-2013
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
BMC Public Health / Issue 1/2013
Electronic ISSN: 1471-2458
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2458-13-93

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