Skip to main content
NCBI home page
The British Journal of General Practice logoLink to The British Journal of General Practice
. 1992 Sep;42(362):362–365.

Drug consumption during the first 18 months of life of infants from smoking and non-smoking families.

A Håkansson 1, C Petersson 1
PMCID: PMC1372112  PMID: 1457170

Abstract

In a geographically well defined population in southern Sweden, a study was made of the overall consumption of drugs by infants during their first 18 months of life. The study population comprised 240 infants, of whom 90 were from families where tobacco was smoked by one or both parents and 150 were from non-smoking families. The investigation was carried out retrospectively by interviewing the mothers at the routine 18-month check up at the child health clinic, combined with study of the medical records at the district health centre, and at the paediatric and ear, nose and throat departments of the nearby hospital. In addition, the reliability of the interview method compared with review of medical records was investigated. Particular attention was paid to the consumption of antibiotics and the relationship between 'passive smoking' and consumption of antibiotics necessitated by respiratory tract infections. There was widespread use of both prescribed and non-prescription remedies. At the age of 18 months, about two thirds of all infants in the area had been prescribed an antibiotic (or other antibacterial agent) on at least one occasion. Infants from smoking families had been prescribed significantly more antibiotics than had infants from non-smoking families. The same pattern was also apparent for nose drops and dimethicone/dicyclomine hydrochloride. The incidence of respiratory tract infections requiring antibiotic treatment was higher in infants from smoking families than from non-smoking families in all the three-month age groups up to 15 months. The responses to the retrospective interview accorded closely with the details recorded in the medical records.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Full text

PDF
362

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Grace J. F., Goulds R. K. An examination of the prescribed therapeutic experience of five-year-olds in general practice. J R Coll Gen Pract. 1980 Sep;30(218):529–532. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Holt P. G., Turner K. J. Environmental tobacco smoke. Effects in humans. Respiratory symptoms in the children of smokers: an overview. Eur J Respir Dis Suppl. 1984;133:109–120. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Håkansson A., Aberg A., Atterwall I., Hagander B., Scherstén B. Antenatal care in southern Sweden. A population-based prospective study describing the diagnostic panorama of pregnancy. Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand. 1991;70(7-8):531–538. doi: 10.3109/00016349109007912. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Håkansson A. Health complaints and drug consumption during the first 18 months of life. Fam Pract. 1989 Sep;6(3):210–216. doi: 10.1093/fampra/6.3.210. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Kennedy D. L., Forbes M. B. Drug therapy for ambulatory pediatric patients in 1979. Pediatrics. 1982 Jul;70(1):26–29. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Kraemer M. J., Richardson M. A., Weiss N. S., Furukawa C. T., Shapiro G. G., Pierson W. E., Bierman C. W. Risk factors for persistent middle-ear effusions. Otitis media, catarrh, cigarette smoke exposure, and atopy. JAMA. 1983 Feb 25;249(8):1022–1025. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. McConnochie K. M., Roghmann K. J. Parental smoking, presence of older siblings, and family history of asthma increase risk of bronchiolitis. Am J Dis Child. 1986 Aug;140(8):806–812. doi: 10.1001/archpedi.1986.02140220088039. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Mölstad S., Hovelius B. Reduction in antibiotic usage following an educational programme. Fam Pract. 1989 Mar;6(1):33–37. doi: 10.1093/fampra/6.1.33. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Pedreira F. A., Guandolo V. L., Feroli E. J., Mella G. W., Weiss I. P. Involuntary smoking and incidence of respiratory illness during the first year of life. Pediatrics. 1985 Mar;75(3):594–597. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Petersson C., Häkansson A. A prospective study of infectious morbidity and antibiotic consumption among children in different forms of municipal day-care. Scand J Infect Dis. 1989;21(4):449–457. doi: 10.3109/00365548909167451. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Petersson C., Håkansson A. A retrospective study of respiratory tract infections among children in different forms of day care. Scand J Prim Health Care. 1990 Jul;8(2):119–122. doi: 10.3109/02813439008994942. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Rasmussen F., Smedby B. Physician visits and prescribed drugs among young children and their mothers. Scand J Prim Health Care. 1987 Nov;5(4):225–231. doi: 10.3109/02813438709018100. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Rasmussen F., Sundelin C. Use of medical care and antibiotics among preschool children in different day care settings. Acta Paediatr Scand. 1990 Aug-Sep;79(8-9):838–846. doi: 10.1111/j.1651-2227.1990.tb11563.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Ståhlberg M. R., Ruuskanen O., Virolainen E. Risk factors for recurrent otitis media. Pediatr Infect Dis. 1986 Jan-Feb;5(1):30–32. doi: 10.1097/00006454-198601000-00006. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Taylor B., Wadsworth J. Maternal smoking during pregnancy and lower respiratory tract illness in early life. Arch Dis Child. 1987 Aug;62(8):786–791. doi: 10.1136/adc.62.8.786. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Willatt D. J. Children's sore throats related to parental smoking. Clin Otolaryngol Allied Sci. 1986 Oct;11(5):317–321. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2273.1986.tb00132.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from The British Journal of General Practice are provided here courtesy of Royal College of General Practitioners

RESOURCES