Background: Over 43 million Indonesian children who are exposed to cigarette smoke are at risk of having health hazard and morbidities.
Aims: The aim of this study is to identify the correlation between cigarette smoke exposure and respiratory complaints, hospitalization, as well as school absence due to respiratory complaints in elementary school-aged Indonesian children.
Materials and methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in nonsmoking elementary school-aged children. Participants were categorized into the exposed and unexposed groups based on the report of their parents. Questionnaire-retrieved data were analyzed to identify the correlation between cigarette smoke exposure and respiratory complaints, hospitalization, as well as school absence due to respiratory complaints in elementary school-aged children.
Results: A total of 128 study participants of nonsmoking children aged 6-12 years (mean 9.8 ± standard deviation 1.6 years) were categorized into 64 children exposed and 64 children unexposed to domestic cigarette smoking. There was a significant correlation between smoking exposure and cough episodes as well as upper respiratory infection in children within the past 12 months. A cough episode of ≥3 times/year was found more prevalent in exposed children compared to the unexposed children (26.6% vs. 9.4%; P < 0.05). Cough ≥3 times/year was found in 50% of children exposed to cigarette smoke of a smoker with a smoking habit of >10 cigarettes/day. There was a correlation between cigarette smoke exposure and hospitalization frequency of ≥1 time(s)/year due to respiratory complaints in children (P < 0.05).
Conclusion: Cigarette smoke exposure is correlated with complaints of cough, upper respiratory tract infection, and hospitalization due to respiratory complaints in children.
Keywords: Children; respiratory complaints; tobacco smoke exposure.