Abstract
Prevalence of asthma and its association with environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) exposure were examined among adolescent schoolchildren in Chandigarh, India. Using a previously standardized questionnaire, data from 9090 students in the 9- to 20-year age range were analyzed. There were 4367 (48%) boys, in whom the observed prevalence of asthma was 2.6%. Among 4723 (52%) girls, asthma was present in 90 (1.9%) students. Presence of one or more respiratory symptoms was reported by 31% students. More students with asthma had either parents or other family members smoking at home as compared to nonasthmatics (41% vs. 28%, p < 0.0001). The odds ratio for being asthmatic for patients exposed to ETS compared to those not exposed to ETS was 1.78 (95% confidence interval 1.33–2.31). ETS was also positively associated with prevalence of all the respiratory symptoms, with odds ratios varying between 1.6 and 2.25.