Preprint Article Version 1 Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed

Exposure to Environmental Tobacco Smoke and Effects on Physical and Mental Health of Slovak School Children

Ludmila Sevcikova
,
Jana Babjakova
,
Jana Jurkovicova
,
Martin Samohyl
,
Zuzana Stefanikova
,
Erika Machacova
,
Diana Vondrova
ORCID logo ,
Etela Janekova
,
Katarina Hirosova
,
Alexandra Filova
,
Michael Weitzman
,
Lubica Argalasova
* ORCID logo
Version 1 : Received: 5 May 2018 / Approved: 7 May 2018 / Online: 7 May 2018 (09:23:27 CEST)

A peer-reviewed article of this Preprint also exists.

Sevcikova, L.; Babjakova, J.; Jurkovicova, J.; Samohyl, M.; Stefanikova, Z.; Machacova, E.; Vondrova, D.; Janekova, E.; Hirosova, K.; Filova, A.; Weitzman, M.; Argalasova, L. Exposure to Environmental Tobacco Smoke in Relation to Behavioral, Emotional, Social and Health Indicators of Slovak School Children. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2018, 15, 1374. Sevcikova, L.; Babjakova, J.; Jurkovicova, J.; Samohyl, M.; Stefanikova, Z.; Machacova, E.; Vondrova, D.; Janekova, E.; Hirosova, K.; Filova, A.; Weitzman, M.; Argalasova, L. Exposure to Environmental Tobacco Smoke in Relation to Behavioral, Emotional, Social and Health Indicators of Slovak School Children. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2018, 15, 1374.

Abstract

ETS exposure has been shown as an important environmental risk factor in vulnerable population groups. The aim of the project is to analyze the relationships among the ETS and behavior and health in 6−15-year-old children in Slovakia. The status of physical and mental health of children in relation to exposure to tobacco smoke was examined in the representative group of 1478 school children. The methods used, included anonymous questionnaires filled in by parents, Columbia Impairment Scale (CIS), Behavior Problem Index (BPI) and anthropometry. The prevalence of passive smoking is the highest in the capital (27%) and southern cities. Significant relationships have been confirmed between ETS and the age, socio-economic status, the incompleteness of the family, the level of mother's education and the significantly higher prevalence of respiratory diseases (26.7%).The relationships of ETS with emotional (CIS scores ≥16) and behavioral functions (BPI score ≥14) were significant in children exposed to mother‘s and father‘s smoking at home. In the multivariate analysis this association was not significant; the factors such as income and completeness of the family were dominant. The results confirmed the impact of ETS and social factors on health state and health behavior and could be the argumentation for legislative changes.

Keywords

Environmental Tobacco Smoke (ETS); Slovak school children; mental health; physical health; Columbia Impairment Scale; Behavioral Problem Index

Subject

Public Health and Healthcare, Public, Environmental and Occupational Health

Copyright: This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

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