Abstract
BACKGROUND: Despite research on the association between second-hand smoke exposure and chest pain/wheezing, evidence on the levels of exposure in the household and their relation to these outcomes is lacking. Our study investigated this gap. METHODS: Secondary data of 6000 participants from Qatar Biobank between the age of 18 and 87 (47.8% females), consisting of Qatari nationals and long-term residents, who volunteered to participate in the study and provided self-report responses to a cross-sectional survey was analyzed. We controlled for a number of demographic and lifestyle factors when studying the relationship between the number of household members that smoke and the amount of time spent with them at home in the same room and chest pain/wheezing. We used logistic regression tests for crude and adjusted odds ratios, and included a planned comparison of dual users of cigarettes and shisha with non-users of either product for effect modification. We also conducted sensitivity analyses of the non-users of cigarettes and shisha strata. RESULTS: The odds of chest pain (adj OR = 1.42; 95% CI: 1.20, 1.68), and wheezing (adj OR = 1.41; 95% CI: 1.11, 1.76) were higher for those living with two or more smokers, compared to living with none, and the odds of experiencing chest pain (adj OR = 1.51; 95% CI: 1.20, 1.89) and wheezing (adj OR = 1.56; 95% CI: 1.16, 2.09) were higher for those exposed to second-hand smoke for two or more hours per day in the same room in a household with a smoker relative to 0 h. Subgroup analysis of the strata who are neither cigarette smokers nor shisha users revealed that people living with two or more smokers, compared with none, were more likely to experience chest pain (adj OR = 1.49; 95% CI: 1.17, 1.90) and wheezing (adj OR = 1.43; 95% CI: 1.04, 1.95). CONCLUSION: Exposure level to second-hand smoke in the household is a correlate of chest pain and wheezing. Measures to reduce such exposure through awareness campaigns are needed. However, further longitudinal examinations of the relationship between second-hand smoke in the household and reports of chest pain and wheezing are warranted.