| Summary: | Introduction
Introduction: Detrimental effects of second-hand smoke (SHS) exposure are well established; however, data on SHS exposure among adolescents in Kuwait is lacking. Hence, this study sought to estimate the prevalence of household SHS exposure among two samples of adolescents in Kuwait and assess its variation by socioeconomic status and parental education level.
Methods
Methods: Data from two large school-based cross-sectional studies were analyzed. Adolescents attending public middle (n=3,864; aged 11–14 years) and high (n=1,959; aged 14–19 years) schools throughout Kuwait were enrolled in 2017-2018, and parental self-reported household SHS exposure was assessed. Associations were assessed using Poisson regression with robust variance estimation, and adjusted prevalence ratios (aPRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated.
Results
Results: Overall, 45.8% (1755/3836; 95% CI: 44.2–47.3) of the enrolled middle school students and 51.6% (998/1936; 95% CI: 49.3–53.8) of the enrolled high school students were exposed to household SHS. Among middle and high school students, the prevalence of household SHS exposure increased as maternal/paternal education level and family income decreased. Among middle school students, paternal educational attainment of middle school or less compared to bachelor’s degree or higher associated with 1.60-fold (95% CI: 1.44-1.79) higher household SHS exposure. Similarly, in the sample of middle school students, the prevalence of household SHS exposure significantly increased from being 35.8% among children from families reporting highest household income to 50.5% among children from families with lowest reported household income (p-trend < 0.001).
Conclusions
Conclusions: Household SHS exposure is substantially high among adolescents in Kuwait. Enrolled adolescents from families with low socioeconomic status or with low parental education level have the highest household SHS exposure. These findings highlight the need for national comprehensive tobacco control policies and increasing parental awareness about the impact of SHS exposure on children.
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