Infant exposure to environmental tobacco smoke.

OBJECTIVE

To identify infant health outcomes that have been empirically associated with environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) exposure in current international research literature.

METHODS

Reports of infant ETS exposure, obtained using computerized searches of CINAHL and Medline databases, were reviewed. Studies of infant health outcomes published between 1995 and 2000 were included if they met specific criteria including the selection of infant ETS exposure as a major study variable.

RESULTS

The 10 studies in this integrative review of the literature were conducted in a variety of international health care settings. Positive associations were found between infant ETS exposure and gastroesophageal reflux, colic, sudden infant death syndrome, lower respiratory tract infections, and other infant morbidities. Parental self-reports were the predominant measures of ETS exposure. Maternal smoking was reported as a significant predictor of infant health outcomes.

CONCLUSIONS

Nurses who care for mother-infant dyads in the first year of life are needed to support the development of a "gold standard" for the measurement of ETS exposure that is reliable, valid, and economical. In the interim, the global nursing community may use the findings of these current studies as justification for directing infant health care resources to smoking cessation interventions specifically tailored to meet the needs of mothers who smoke.