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Exposure to tobacco smoke prenatally and during infancy and risk of hearing impairment among children in Japan: A retrospective cohort study
Author(s) -
Wilunda Calistus,
Yoshida Satomi,
Tanaka Shiro,
Kanazawa Yuji,
Kimura Takeshi,
Kawakami Koji
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
paediatric and perinatal epidemiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.667
H-Index - 88
eISSN - 1365-3016
pISSN - 0269-5022
DOI - 10.1111/ppe.12477
Subject(s) - medicine , pregnancy , tobacco smoke , smoke , retrospective cohort study , cohort study , pediatrics , passive smoking , cohort , population , relative risk , hearing loss , obstetrics , environmental health , confidence interval , audiology , genetics , physics , meteorology , biology
Background Previous studies of the association between tobacco smoke and hearing loss in children are limited, involve small samples and are cross‐sectional. We investigated the association of maternal smoking during pregnancy and exposure to tobacco smoke at age 4 months with hearing impairment at age 3 years in children. Methods This population‐based retrospective cohort study included 50 734 children born between 2004 and 2010 in Kobe City, Japan. Smoking during pregnancy and exposure to tobacco smoke at 4 months was measured using parent‐reported questionnaires. Hearing impairment was determined by the whispered voice test. Results Of the included children, 3.8% were exposed to smoking only during pregnancy; 3.9% were exposed only to second‐hand smoke at 4 months; and 0.9% were exposed to tobacco smoke during pregnancy and at 4 months. The prevalence of hearing impairment at age 3 years was 4.6%. Compared with children not exposed to tobacco smoke prenatally and at 4 months, the risk of hearing impairment was elevated in children exposed to only maternal past smoking during pregnancy (RR 1.26, 95% CI 1.13, 1.40), only second‐hand smoke at 4 months (RR 1.30, 95% CI 1.07, 1.56), only smoking during pregnancy (RR 1.68, 95% CI 1.42, 2.00) and smoking during pregnancy and second‐hand smoke at 4 months (RR 2.35, 95% CI 1.79, 3.10). Conclusions Exposure to tobacco smoke prenatally and postnatally was associated with hearing impairment in children. A prevention of smoking before and during pregnancy and exposure to second‐hand smoke postnatally may reduce hearing impairment risk in children.