An increased risk of neurobehavioral disorders among children should be added to the list of the adverse effects of secondhand smoke, according to the results of a nationwide telephone survey. For U.S. children exposed to secondhand smoke at home, the weighted prevalence of learning disabilities was 8.2% (95% CI 7.5 to 8.8), according to Hillel R. Alpert, ScM, of the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, and colleagues. In addition, the prevalence of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder/attention deficit disorder (ADHD/ADD) was 5.9% (95% CI 5.5 to 6.4) and the prevalence of conduct disorders was 3.6% (95% CI 3.1 to 4), the researchers reported online in the August Pediatrics.
