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Disparities in Marijuana and Tobacco Smoke Incursions Among New York City Families During Early Months of the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Zajac, Lauren; Gallate, Xanthe; Gu, Gregory; Liu, Bian; Elaiho, Cordelia; Lin, Elaine; Mogilner, Leora; Oliver, Kristin; Vangeepuram, Nita; Wilson, Karen.
  • Zajac L; Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health (Drs Zajac and Oliver), Department of Pediatrics, and Kravis Children's Hospital (Ms Elaiho and Drs Lin, Mogilner, Vangeepuram, and Wilson), Medical Education (Ms Gallate), and Department of Population Health Science and Policy, and Institute for Translational Epidemiology (Dr Liu), Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York City, New York; and Columbia University Post-Baccalaureate Program, New York City, New York (Mr Gu).
J Public Health Manag Pract ; 28(3): 248-257, 2022.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1507094
ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES:

Once the COVID-19 pandemic arrived in New York City (NYC), stay-at-home orders led to more time spent indoors, potentially increasing exposure to secondhand marijuana and tobacco smoke via incursions from common areas or neighbors. The objective of this study was to characterize housing-based disparities in marijuana and tobacco incursions in NYC housing during the pandemic.

DESIGN:

We surveyed a random sample of families from May to July 2020 and collected sociodemographic data, housing characteristics, and the presence, frequency, and pandemic-related change in incursions.

SETTING:

Five pediatric practices affiliated with a large NYC health care system.

PARTICIPANTS:

In total, 230 caregivers of children attending the practices. MAIN OUTCOME

MEASURES:

Prevalence and change in tobacco and marijuana smoke incursions.

RESULTS:

Tobacco and marijuana smoke incursions were reported by 22.9% and 30.7%, respectively. Twenty-two percent of families received financial housing support (public housing, Section-8). Compared with families in private housing, families with financial housing support had 3.8 times the odds of tobacco incursions (95% CI, 1.4-10.1) and 3.7 times the odds of worsening incursions during pandemic (95% CI, 1.1-12.5). Families with financially supported housing had 6.9 times the odds of marijuana incursions (95% CI, 2.4-19.5) and 5 times the odds of worsening incursions during pandemic (95% CI, 1.9-12.8). Children in financially supported housing spent more time inside the home during pandemic (median 24 hours vs 21.6 hours, P = .02) and were more likely to have asthma (37% vs 12.9%, P = .001) than children in private housing.

CONCLUSIONS:

Incursions were higher among families with financially supported housing. Better enforcement of existing regulations (eg, Smoke-Free Public Housing Rule) and implementation of additional policies to limit secondhand tobacco and marijuana exposure in children are needed. Such actions should prioritize equitable access to cessation and mental health services and consider structural systems leading to poverty and health disparities.
Subject(s)

Full text: Available Collection: International databases Database: MEDLINE Main subject: Tobacco Smoke Pollution / Cannabis / Smoke-Free Policy / COVID-19 Type of study: Observational study / Prognostic study / Randomized controlled trials Limits: Child / Humans Country/Region as subject: North America Language: English Journal: J Public Health Manag Pract Journal subject: Public Health / Health Services Year: 2022 Document Type: Article

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Full text: Available Collection: International databases Database: MEDLINE Main subject: Tobacco Smoke Pollution / Cannabis / Smoke-Free Policy / COVID-19 Type of study: Observational study / Prognostic study / Randomized controlled trials Limits: Child / Humans Country/Region as subject: North America Language: English Journal: J Public Health Manag Pract Journal subject: Public Health / Health Services Year: 2022 Document Type: Article