Second-Hand Smoke Exposure Associated with Risk of Respiratory Symptoms, Asthma, and COPD in 20,421 Adults from the General Population

Figures & data

Table 1 Characteristics of Individuals Exposed to Second-Hand Smoking in the General Population

	No Exposure (n=3,413)	Childhood Exposure Only (n=13,998)	Adulthood Exposure Only (n=459)	Lifelong Exposure (n=2,551)
Age	55.5±15.6	56.5±13.0^‡	55.2±14.9	54.1±12.7^‡
Male/female	1,492/1,921	6,217/7,781	233/226^†	1,324/1,227^‡
Never smoker	1,822 (54%)	5,801 (42%)^‡	246 (54%)^‡	1,052 (41%)^‡
Ex-smoker	1,173 (37%)	5,693 (41%)^‡	123 (27%)^‡	845 (33%)^‡
Current smoker	402 (12%)	2,452 (18%)^‡	90 (20%)^‡	642 (25%)^‡

Notes: Values are means±SD or numbers (%). No exposure=no second-hand smoke exposure (control). ^†P<0.01, ^‡P<0.001 versus individuals not exposed to second-hand smoking by Student’s t-test or Pearson’s χ²-test.

Figure 1 Risk of light dyspnoea, severe dyspnoea, wheezing, and cough on exertion in individuals exposed to second-hand smoking in the general population. Logistic regression models adjusted for age, sex, and smoking status.

Figure 2 FEV₁% predicted and FVC% predicted in individuals exposed to second-hand smoking in the general population. Values are mean and SD. ^†P<0.01, ^‡P<0.001 versus individuals not exposed to second-hand smoking.

Figure 3 Risk of asthma and COPD in individuals exposed to second-hand smoking in the general population. Logistic regression models adjusted for age, sex, and smoking status.