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Second-hand smoke exposure in homes and in cars among Canadian youth: current prevalence, beliefs about exposure, and changes between 2004 and 2006

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Abstract

Purpose

The present study examines second-hand smoke (SHS) exposure and the beliefs youth have about being exposed to SHS in their home and in cars and explores changes in exposure and beliefs over time.

Methods

Nationally representative data from the 2006 Youth Smoking Survey (YSS) were used to examine youth exposure to smoking and beliefs about smoking in the home and car among 71,003 Canadian youth in grades 5–12. Gender-specific logistic regression models were conducted to examine if being exposed to smoking at home or in the car were associated with the beliefs youth have about either smoking around kids at home or smoking around kids in cars.

Results

In 2006, 22.1% of youth in grades 5–12 were exposed to smoking in their home on a daily or almost daily basis and 28.1% were exposed to smoking while riding in a car at least once in the previous week. The majority of youth reported that they do not think smoking should be allowed around kids at home (88.3%) or in cars (88.4%). Youth exposed to smoking in the home or in cars reported missing substantially more days of school in the previous month because of their health. Among both male and female youth, being an ever smoker, living in a house where someone smokes inside daily, and having ridden in a car with someone who was smoking cigarettes in the past seven days were all associated with being more likely to report that smoking should not be allowed around kids at home or in cars. Compared to their male counterparts, female youth with at least one parent who smokes were more likely to report that smoking should not be allowed around kids at home or in cars. As rates of SHS exposure in the home and car decreased between 2004 and 2006, the prevalence of youth who reported that they do not think smoking should be allowed around kids at home or in cars also decreased over the same period of time.

Conclusions

These results highlight that Canadian youth are frequently exposed to SHS in their homes and in cars despite the fact that the vast majority of youth do not think smoking should be allowed around kids in those locations. Considering the health and social consequences associated with SHS exposure, it may be a timely opportunity to move forward with programs and policies designed to prevent individuals from smoking around youth in these locations.

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Notes

  1. The term ‘car’ is used throughout this manuscript rather than the term ‘vehicle’ to be consistent with terminology used in the Youth Smoking Survey questionnaire and the published literature.

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Acknowledgment

The authors would like to thank Health Canada, Cancer Care Ontario, and the Population Health Research Group for providing support for this project. Dr. Leatherdale is a Cancer Care Ontario Research Chair in Population Studies. The 2006–2007 YSS is a product of the pan-Canadian capacity building project funded through a contribution agreement between Health Canada and the Centre for Behavioural Research and Program Evaluation Group at the University of Waterloo. This pan-Canadian consortium included Canadian tobacco control researchers from all provinces and provided training opportunities for university students at all levels, encouraging their involvement and growth in the field of tobacco control research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Population Studies and Surveillance, Cancer Care Ontario, 620 University Avenue, Toronto, ON, M5G 2L7, Canada

    Scott T. Leatherdale

  2. Department of Health Studies and Gerontology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Canada

    Scott T. Leatherdale

  3. Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada

    Scott T. Leatherdale

  4. Population Health Research Group, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Canada

    Rashid Ahmed

Authors
  1. Scott T. Leatherdale
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  2. Rashid Ahmed
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Correspondence to Scott T. Leatherdale.

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Leatherdale, S.T., Ahmed, R. Second-hand smoke exposure in homes and in cars among Canadian youth: current prevalence, beliefs about exposure, and changes between 2004 and 2006. Cancer Causes Control 20, 855–865 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10552-009-9306-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10552-009-9306-2

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