Tobacco exposure impairs executive function in kids

Exposure to tobacco during pregnancy and in early childhood may impair the development of a child’s executive function, a recent study has found.

Researchers performed a prospective birth cohort on 239 children, whose behaviour and executive function were assessed at 8 years of age using the Behaviour Assessment System for Children-2 (BASC-2) and the Behaviour Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF), respectively. Tobacco exposure was quantified through questionnaires and serum cotinine measurements.

High mean serum cotinine concentrations during pregnancy was correlated with higher BRIEF scores in the subscale of initiation (B, 0.44, 95 percent confidence interval [CI], 0.03–0.85; p=0.038), indicating impairment.

This pattern was reflected in other subscales, such as organization of materials (B, 0.43, 95 percent CI, –0.01 to 0.87; p=0.059) and planning/organizing (B, 0.36, 95 percent CI, –0.09 to 0.82; p=0.115), though statistical significance was not achieved.

Child serum cotinine likewise impaired initiation (B, 0.69, 95 percent CI, 0.06–1.32; p=0.03) significantly and working memory (B, 0.76, –0.01 to 1.54; p=0.055).

Moreover, in mothers who reported not smoking during pregnancy, high mean serum cotinine concentrations correlated with impairments in offspring metacognition and global executive function, as well as the subscales of initiation, working memory, planning/organizing, and organization of materials.

No such effects were reported for any of the BASC-2 outcomes.

“These findings highlight the need to increase public awareness to protect pregnant women and developing foetuses from tobacco smoke. This need is emphasized by the high prevalence of detectable tobacco smoke exposure in this sample, even at low levels,” said researchers.