State ranks high in childhood exposure to secondhand smoke

By Tia Ghose of the Journal Sentinel
Posted: July 29, 2010 (14) Comments

Wisconsin ranks fifth nationally in childhood exposure to secondhand smoke, according to a study published in the July Pediatrics.

More than one in 10 children in the state regularly breathed in secondhand smoke, compared with about one in 100 in Utah. In the households of smokers, 39% of children regularly breathe in secondhand smoke. Only West Virginia outranks Wisconsin on that measure. The study surveyed 2,000 households across the state in 2007.

Secondhand smoke is tied to heart disease, asthma and premature birth, said Nathan Jones, a University of Wisconsin-Madison statistician who analyzed the state data.

But unlike other states with heavy secondhand smoke exposure, Wisconsin doesn't have sky-high rates of adult smoking, he said.

"We rank right in the middle of the 50 states," he said.

The frigid Wisconsin winters and a desire to stay inside to smoke can't explain the numbers, he said.

"When we look at our neighbors - North Dakota, Michigan, Minnesota - they're all quite a bit lower," Jones said. "Cold weather doesn't seem to be the explanatory factor."

Instead, cultural or demographic factors may make Wisconsinites more comfortable lighting up in the house, he said.

Other states' "take it outside" campaigns haven't cut children's secondhand smoke exposure, though quit-smoking campaigns and public bans have been shown to work, he said.

That makes the state's recent cuts to smoking-cessation programs especially troubling, said Maureen Busalacchi, executive director of SmokeFree Wisconsin. For instance, pregnant women who called the (800) QUIT-NOW hotline used to automatically get 10 phone calls from a counselor, and now only get one, she said.

"The best thing is to really support those parents in quitting," she said. "It is a difficult process."

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Statistics
10.5% of Wisconsin children are regularly exposed to secondhand smoke
139,000 Wisconsin children are regularly exposed to secondhand smoke
19.5% of Wisconsin adults smoke