Second Hand Smoke Exposuređź”—
| Name | Second Hand Smoke Exposure |
| Table Name | sed_cg_shs |
| Construct | Second Hand Smoke |
| Study Visits | V05 |
| Type | In-person/Remote Questionnaire (Parent on Child; 1 min) |
| Quality Control | Response missingness and proportions were reviewed. |
Participants report information for the child’s primary residence. If a child spends at least 2-days per week in multiple homes, reporters are asked to provide information for the home they are most familiar with. As a result, exposures to secondhand smoke or chemicals in those additional environments is not captured, which may result in incomplete exposure data.
Responses can be used in binary form (yes/no).
Instrument Detailsđź”—
The Second Hand Smoke Exposure instrument was adapted from Version 01.30 of “Household Exposure to Secondhand Smoke-Current” in the ECHO Study (Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes).
As of 2022, about 1 in 5 US adults report current smoking (CDC 2022). For a child at young ages, all of their smoke exposure will be through contact with adults who smoke, and the majority of that exposure will occur in their household. Childhood exposure to 2nd hand smoke is a significant risk factor for asthma, incident and recurrent respiratory infections, SIDS, lost school days due to infection and hospitalization, and long term risks of chronic pulmonary diseases (EPA 2024). Even limited exposure to second hand smoke has been associated with changes in brain function in young adults, and some animal and human evidence suggests second hand smoke exposure in early life induces changes in cognition, some of which may be sex-specific (Brody et al. 2011; Ling et al. 2016).
Prompts for instruction items were modified to be consistent with the housing/residence description and remove information on dose of exposure (given lack of validation of dose-related information). Two items were removed: 2 1b ("How often, on average, are cigarettes smoked inside the child’s home or dwelling?") and 3 2b-e (Specifics on non-cigarette products used most often, and their frequency).
Brody AL, Mandelkern MA, London ED et al. 2011 Sep; 68(9):953-60. https://doi.org/10.1001/archgenpsychiatry.2011.51
CDC. (2022). TOBACCO PRODUCT USE AMONG ADULTS— United States, 2022 [PDF]. Retrieved August 23, 2025, from https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/media/pdfs/2024/09/cdc-osh-ncis-data-report-508.pdf
Ling J and Heffernan T. Front Psychiatry. 2016 Mar 24; 7:46. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2016.00046
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. (2024, December 20). What is EPA’s position on children’s exposure to secondhand smoke/aerosol? https://www.epa.gov/indoor-air-quality-iaq/what-epas-position-childrens-exposure-secondhand-smokeaerosol