Who Is Exposed to Secondhand Smoke? Self-Reported and Serum Cotinine Measured Exposure in the U.S., 1999-2006

• Main Authors: Yanling Shi, Hai-Yen Sung, Wendy Max
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2009-05-01
• Series: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
• Subjects: environmental tobacco smoke; secondhand smoke (SHS); passive smoking; serum cotinine; self-reported exposure
• Online Access: http://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/6/5/1633/

This study presents self-reported and serum cotinine measures of exposure to secondhand smoke (SHS) for nonsmoking children, adolescents, and adults. Estimates are disaggregated by time periods and sociodemographic characteristics based on analyses of the 1999-2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Self-reported exposure rates are found to be highest for children, followed by adolescents and adults. Important differences in exposure are found by socioeconomic characteristics. Using serum cotinine to measure exposure yields much higher prevalence rates than self-reports. Rates of SHS exposure remain high, but cotinine levels are declining for most groups.