Actual situations of passive smoking and influences of notification of urine co-tinine value towards recognition and avoidance of passive smoking

Abstract

This study aimed to capture actual situations due to passive smoking by measuring urine cotinine values and discussing relationships between places and opportunities of passive smoking. There were 186 participants, university students and community living people, recognized passive smoking. Analyzed data were urine co-tinine values, examined between 2009 and 2012, and Kano Test for Social Nicotine Dependence Ver.2.1 (KTSND v2.1), gathered from 34 participants in 2011 and 2012 to compare pre- and post- notification of their urine cotinine values. As a result, urine cotinine was detected from 93% of the participants, indicating 7.2 ng/ mgCr as the mean value. Urine cotinine values were significantly higher among the groups: whose family mem-bers smoked in living rooms and whose working places had separate areas for smokers and non-smokers. Partic-ipant numbers, choose the non-smoking section in restaurants and kept away from smokers when smokers were close to them, were slightly increased. In this study, participants’ avoidance behaviors for passive smok-ing were increased by notification of urine cotinine values. It was suggested that notification of urine cotinine values would be an effective mean to visualize harm of passive smoking because passive smoking caused imperceptible subjective symptoms.