Exposure to secondhand smoke from cigarettes: A cross-sectional study of primary school adolescents in Awendo Sub-County, Migori-Kenya

Mwaniki, E. and Gray, C. M. (2018) Exposure to secondhand smoke from cigarettes: A cross-sectional study of primary school adolescents in Awendo Sub-County, Migori-Kenya. IOSR Journal of Dental and Medical Sciences, 17(6), pp. 63-69.

Abstract

Tobacco use is responsible for 6 million deaths globally per year, of which 600,000 deaths are due to secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure mainly among children 1 . The aim of the study was to examine Second hand smoke exposure among primary school children, their awareness of its harmfulness and determinants of exposure to second hand smoke (SHS) exposure among non-smokers. A cross-sectional survey was conducted between February-March 2016 among 579 primary school students 14—17 year old from Awendo, Migori County, Kenya. The sample consisted of 291 students from government and 288 from private schools . Data was collected by a self-administered questionnaire adapted from the global youth tobacco survey questionnaire. The main outcome was exposure to secondhand tobacco smoke in the home and school and other variables included family setting, type of primary school attended and knowledge of SHS health risks. The response rate was 96.5%. More than 49% of respondents had been exposed to involuntary smoking at school and 44% at home in the previous seven days. The highest odds of exposure were associated with sibling smoking (OR = 5.06; 95% CI = 3.29-7.77), followed by parental smoking (OR = 3.69; 95% CI = 2.54-5.54), teacher smoking (OR = 3.67; 95% CI =2.43-5.55), and living with neither parent (OR = 2.48; 95% CI = 0.91-6.80). Odds were reduced among adolescents with knowledge about harms related to SHS exposure, however, few students (27.4%) understood these harms. Efforts are needed to decrease primary school children’s exposure to SHS. These should include health campaigns in the media and schools to increase awareness about the dangers of SHS exposure.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Gray, Professor Cindy
• Authors: Mwaniki, E., and Gray, C. M.
• College/School: College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Health & Wellbeing > General Practice and Primary Care
• Journal Name: IOSR Journal of Dental and Medical Sciences
• Publisher: IOSR Journals
• ISSN: 2279-0861
• ISSN (Online): 2279-0853
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2018 iosrjournals.org