In China, a team of researchers examined the association between exposure to secondhand smoke (SHS) and symptoms of pediatric attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
The results appeared in JAMA.
Involving more than 45,000 school-aged participants residing in China, researchers studied exposure to secondhand smoke during pregnancy.
The participants were studied between April 2012 and January 2013.
According to the researchers: “Being exposed to SHS from pregnancy to childhood was associated with higher odds of having ADHD symptoms and subtypes among school-aged children, and the associations were somewhat stronger for SHS exposure during prenatal and early postnatal periods.”
“Our findings highlight the important public health implications of reducing SHS exposure, which may decrease the health and economic burdens of individuals with ADHD.”
The study indicated the limitations, with the potential for recall bias and exposure misclassification pertaining to the questionnaires measuring SHS exposure.
