Trends in Secondhand Smoke Exposure, 2011−2018: Impact and Implications of Expanding Serum Cotinine Range

• Published in: American journal of preventive medicine 2021-09, Vol.61 (3), p.e109-e117
• Main Authors: Tsai, James, Homa, David M., Neff, Linda J., Sosnoff, Connie S., Wang, Lanqing, Blount, Benjamin C., Melstrom, Paul C., King, Brian A.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Hispanic Americans; Housing; Mexican Americans; Nicotine; Nonsmokers; Nutrition; Passive smoking; Serum; Sociodemographics; Tobacco smoke; Trends
• ISSN: 0749-3797; 1873-2607
• DOI: 10.1016/j.amepre.2021.04.004

The impact of defining secondhand smoke exposure among nonsmokers using an expanded serum cotinine range is currently unknown. This study assessed the trends in secondhand smoke exposure prevalence among a nationally representative sample of 23,753 U.S. nonsmokers aged ≥3 years. Serum cotinine ranges of 0.05–10 ng/mL (established) and of 0.015–10 ng/mL (expanded) were analyzed in 2021 using data from the 2011–2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. During 2011–2018, the percentage of people with a serum cotinine range of 0.05–10 ng/mL remained stable (25.3% to 24.6%) across most sociodemographic subgroups but declined significantly among adult Mexican Americans aged ≥20 years (23.9% to 14.1%). However, the percentage of people with serum cotinine range of 0.015–10 ng/mL significantly declined (58.3% to 52.3%) among male individuals (60.9% to 55.0%), among female individuals (56.2% to 50.0%), among adults aged ≥20 years (55.8% to 49.2%), among Mexican Americans (60.9% to 41.2%), among people with a college degree or higher (44.4% to 36.0%), among those who rented their housing (71.7% to 62.5%), among people not living with someone who smoked inside the home (56.1% to 50.0%), and among Mexican Americans aged ≥20 years (60.9% to 39.1%) (all p