Recommended questions for studies assessing secondhand smoke exposure (SHSe)
Question | Location | Source | Reliable* | Validation air* | Validation biomarker* |
Lifetime | |||||
Number of years living with a smoker | Home | Mother | Yes | ||
Adulthood | |||||
Living with a regular smoker (yes/no) | Home | Wife | Yes | ||
Husband | Yes | ||||
Mother | Yes | ||||
No. of years sharing the home with smoker(s) | Home | Spouse | Yes | ||
Other HM | Yes | ||||
No. of pack-years of SHSe (number of cigarette packs smoked per day by the source × number of years the source has smoked) | Total | Parents | Yes | ||
All HM | Yes | ||||
No. of cigarettes smoked | Home | All smokers | Nicotine/particulate matter | ||
Work | All smokers | Nicotine | |||
No. of smokers | Work | All smokers | Nicotine/particulate matter | Saliva cotinine | |
No. of hours of SHSe | Work | All smokers | Nicotine/particulate matter | Urine cotinine | |
No. of hours of exposure × no. of smokers × proximity to the participant | Total | All smokers | Nicotine | ||
Childhood (past) | |||||
SHSe during childhood (yes/no) | Total | Mother | Yes | ||
Father | Yes | ||||
SHSe while mother was pregnant (yes/no) | Total | Mother | Yes | ||
No. of years sharing the home with smoker(s) | Home | Mother | Yes | ||
Father | Yes | ||||
Other HM | Yes | ||||
No. of hours per day of SHSe | Total | Father | Yes | ||
Other HM | Yes | ||||
No. of pack-years of SHSe | Total | Parents | Yes | ||
All HM | Yes | ||||
Pregnant women (third trimester) | |||||
Hours of woman's SHSe at home | Home | All HM | Cord blood cotinine | ||
Cigarettes per day smoked in their presence | Home | All HM | Cord blood cotinine | ||
Home or work | All HM and coworkers | Cord blood cotinine | |||
Childhood (current) | |||||
Smoking status of parent | Total | Mother | Saliva cotinine | ||
Father | Saliva cotinine | ||||
Hours of child's SHSe at home | Home | All smokers | Nicotine† | ||
Cigarettes per day smoked | Total | Mother | Yes | Plasma cotinine | |
All HM | Plasma cotinine | ||||
Cigarettes per day smoked in the home | Home | Mother | Yes | Urine cotinine | |
Parents | Yes | Urine cotinine/hair nicotine | |||
All HM | Urine cotinine | ||||
All HM and visitors | Urine cotinine | ||||
All smokers | Hair nicotine | ||||
Cigarettes per day smoked in the presence of the child | Home | All smokers | Yes | Urine cotinine† | |
Total | All smokers | Hair nicotine | |||
No. of cigarettes smoked | Total | Mother | Nicotine | ||
No. of cigarettes smoked in the home | Home | All smokers | Nicotine | Urine cotinine | |
Mother | Urine cotinine | ||||
No. of cigarettes smoked in the presence of the child | Total | Mother | Nicotine | ||
All smokers | Yes | Urine cotinine | |||
Home | Mother | Nicotine | Urine cotinine | ||
Parents | Yes | ||||
Car | Mother | Yes | |||
Weekly no. of cigarettes smoked | Total | Mother | Urine cotinine | ||
Home | Mother | Yes | Nicotine | ||
Father | Yes | ||||
Parents | Yes | ||||
Weekly no. of cigarettes smoked in the home in the presence of the child | Home | Mother | Yes | ||
Father | Yes | ||||
Parents | Yes | ||||
All smokers | Yes | ||||
Weekly no. of cigarettes smoked in the presence of the child | Total | All smokers | Yes | ||
No. of smokers | Total | All HM | Hair nicotine/urine cotinine/serum cotinine | ||
All HM and visitors | Urine cotinine | ||||
Cigarette butt counts in 24 h | Home | Mother | Urine cotinine | ||
Cigarette butt counts × hours spent in living room | Home | Father | Urine cotinine |