Relationship between childhood secondhand smoke exposure and the occurrence of hyperlipidaemia and coronary heart disease among Chinese non-smoking women: a cross-sectional study

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure during childhood on type 2 diabetes mellitus, hypertension, hyperlipidaemia and coronary heart disease among Chinese non-smoking women. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, the SHS exposure data in childhood were obtained using a questionnaire survey. Self-reported childhood SHS exposure was defined as the presence of at least one parent who smoked during childhood. RESULTS: Of the 6522 eligible participants, 2120 Chinese women who had never smoked were assessed. The prevalence of SHS exposure in the entire population was 28.1% (596). SHS exposure during childhood was not significant for the standard risk factors of type 2 diabetes mellitus (p=0.628) and hypertension (p=0.691). However, SHS was positively associated with hyperlipidaemia (p=0.037) after adjusting for age, obesity, education status, physical activity, alcohol consumption, current SHS exposure status, diabetes mellitus and hypertension. In addition, childhood SHS increased the occurrence of coronary heart disease (p=0.045) among non-smokers after further adjusting for hyperlipidaemia. CONCLUSION: SHS exposure during childhood is associated with prevalent hyperlipidaemia and coronary heart disease in adulthood among non-smoking Chinese women.