Parental Smoking and Risk of Allergic Conjunctivitis in Chinese Pediatric Population: A Cross-Sectional Study.

PURPOSE: Evidence on the link between parental smoking and allergic conjunctivitis (AC) is limited, particularly in Chinese children. This study aimed to examine the association between parental smoking and the risk of AC in children.

PATIENTS AND

METHODS

The cross-sectional study was conducted in the ophthalmology department at Tianjin Children's Hospital from 2021 to 2022. We used logistic regression to explore the association between parental smoking and AC. The stability of the results was ensured using subgroup analysis and propensity score matching (PSM).

RESULTS

A total of 4249 participants met the inclusion criteria and were analyzed. After adjusting for all covariates, parental smoking was significantly associated with AC. The adjusted odds ratio was 1.17 (1.03-1.34). Significant interactions were observed for mode of delivery and multiple pregnancies, in relation to the prediction of AC (P < 0.05). Further exploratory subgroup analyses in children with myopia, hyperopia, and astigmatism revealed no significant interactions (all P values for interaction were > 0.05). After adjusting for potential confounders using PSM, the results remained stable.

CONCLUSION

This cross-sectional study showed that influence of inappropriate parental smoking on the risk of incident AC. Parental smoking was associated with increased risk of AC in children. Reducing parental smoking may help lower this risk. These findings underscore the importance of public health interventions to reduce children's exposure to secondhand smoke.