Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University Nijmegen, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
Eur J Public Health. 2012 Jun;22(3):394-8. doi: 10.1093/eurpub/ckr085. Epub 2011 Jul 11.
Research has shown that adolescents with asthma are as likely as and sometimes even more likely to smoke than their peers without asthma. The current study examined whether the prevalence of the first active smoking experience differs for children (9-12 years of age) diagnosed with asthma compared with children who do not have asthma. The association between asthma and smoking was evaluated with logistic regression analysis, controlling for socio-economic status, parental smoking and child's internalizing and externalizing behaviours.
A nation-wide sample of 1476 mother and child dyads participated, of which 220 children (14.9%) had been diagnosed with childhood asthma.
Children diagnosed with asthma were 2.45 times more likely to have taken a puff of a cigarette compared with children without asthma. In addition, the association between asthma and early smoking remained significant after including potential confounders in the regression equation.
Suggestions are provided for preventing school-aged children, especially youths with asthma, from smoking. Additional research is needed to gain further insights into the mechanisms underlying the higher likelihood of early smoking among children with asthma.
研究表明，患有哮喘的青少年吸烟的可能性与没有哮喘的同龄人一样大，甚至更大。本研究旨在检验与没有哮喘的儿童相比，被诊断患有哮喘的儿童（9-12 岁）首次尝试主动吸烟的比例是否存在差异。采用 logistic 回归分析评估哮喘与吸烟之间的关联，同时控制社会经济地位、父母吸烟和儿童的内化和外化行为。
该研究在全国范围内招募了 1476 对母子二人组，其中 220 名儿童（14.9%）被诊断为儿童哮喘。
与没有哮喘的儿童相比，被诊断患有哮喘的儿童吸烟的可能性高出 2.45 倍。此外，在回归方程中纳入潜在混杂因素后，哮喘与早期吸烟之间的关联仍然显著。
针对学龄期儿童，尤其是患有哮喘的青少年，提出了预防吸烟的建议。需要进一步研究以深入了解哮喘儿童更有可能早期吸烟的机制。
