Do people who were passive smokers during childhood have increased risk of long-term work disability?: A 15-month prospective study of nurses' aides

doi:10.1093/eurpub/14.3.296

The European Journal of Public Health 2004 14(3):296-300; doi:10.1093/eurpub/14.3.296
© 2004 by European Journal of Public Health

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Smoking

Do people who were passive smokers during childhood have increased risk of long-term work disability?

A 15-month prospective study of nurses' aides

Willy Eriksen^*

Background: Regular inhalation of tobacco smoke, whether itbe voluntary or not, may have profound negative effects on thebody. Also intervertebral discs may be affected. The objectiveof the present study was to test the hypothesis that nurses'aides who were exposed to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS)at home during childhood have an increased risk of long-termsick leave. Methods: The sample comprised 5563 Norwegian nurses'aides, not on sick leave when they completed a mailed questionnairein 1999. Of these, 4744 (85.3%) completed a second questionnaire15 months later. The outcome measure was the incidence proportionof long-term sick leave during the 12 months prior to the follow-up.Results: Respondents who reported at baseline that they hadbeen exposed to ETS at home during childhood had increased riskof sick leave exceeding 14 days attributed to neck pain (oddsratio (OR) = 1.34; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.04–1.73),high back pain (OR=1.49; CI: 1.07–2.06), low back pain(OR=1.21; CI: 0.97–1.50), and any illness (OR=1.23; CI:1.07–1.42), after adjustments for demographic and familialcharacteristics, former smoking, current smoking, physical leisure-timeactivities, work factors, prior neck injury, and affective symptoms.They also had increased risk of sick leave exceeding 8 weeks(OR=1.29; CI: 1.08–1.55). Conclusion: The study supportsthe hypothesis that nurses' aides who were exposed to ETS athome during childhood have an increased risk of long-term sicknessabsence.

Keywords: childhood, nurses' aides, pain, sick leave, tobacco smoke pollution

Received 24 July 2002. Accepted 3 February 2003.

^* Correspondence: Willy Eriksen, MD, PhD, Department of GeneralPractice and Community Medicine, University of Oslo, PO Box1130 Blindern, 0318 Oslo, Norway, tel. +47 22 850550, fax +4722 850610, e-mail: w.b.eriksen{at}samfunnsmed.uio.no

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