Richard D. Semba ^1*, Saskia de Pee ², Kai Sun ³, Cora M. Best ², Mayang Sari ⁴, Martin W. Bloem ²

¹ Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
² World Food Programme
³ Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
⁴ Helen Keller International Asia Pacific

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: rdsemba{at}jhmi.edu.

	Abstract

We examined the relationship between paternal smoking and child mortality. Among 361 021 rural and urban families in Indonesia, paternal smoking was associated with increased infant mortality (rural, odds ratio [OR]= 1.30; 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.24, 1.35; urban, OR=1.10; 95% CI=1.01, 1.20), and under-5 child mortality (rural, OR=1.32; 95% CI=1.26,1.37; urban, OR=1.14; 95% CI=1.05, 1.23). Paternal smoking diverts money from basic necessities to cigarettes and adversely affects child health; tobacco control should therefore be considered among strategies to improve child survival.

Key Words: Child and Adolescent Health, Global Health, Nutrition/Food, Surveillance, Tobacco Control