WHAT'S KNOWN ON THIS SUBJECT:Much is known about the effects of maternal depression on child health and function. In stark contrast, virtually nothing is known about the association of paternal mental health problems and depression and child functioning. WHAT THIS STUDY ADDS:This study revealed an independent association between fathers' mental health problems and depressive symptoms and increased rates of child emotional and behavioral problems among a large nationally representative sample of children in the United States.abstract BACKGROUND: The negative effects of maternal mental health problems on child health are well documented. In contrast, there is a profound paucity of information about paternal mental health's association with child health. OBJECTIVE:To investigate the association of paternal mental health problems and depressive symptoms and children's emotional or behavioral problems. METHODS:We analyzed Medical Expenditure Panel Survey data, which included a representative sample of US children (N ϭ 21 993) aged 5 to 17 years and their mothers and fathers. The main outcome measure was child emotional or behavioral problems assessed by using the Columbia Impairment Scale. RESULTS:Paternal depressive symptoms, as assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire-2, and mental health problems, more generally, assessed by using the Short-Form 12 Scale, were independently associated with increased rates of child emotional or behavioral problems even after controlling for numerous potential confounders including maternal depressive symptoms and other mental health problems. The adjusted odds ratio (aOR) for emotional or behavioral problems among children of fathers with depressive symptoms was 1.72 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.33-2.23) and the aOR associated with abnormal paternal scores on the mental component scale of the Short-Form 12 was 1.33 (95% CI: 1.10 -1.62) for those within 1 SD below average and 1.48 (95% CI: 1.20 -1.84) for those Ͼ1 SD below average. CONCLUSIONS:To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to use a representative US sample to demonstrate that living with fathers with depressive symptoms and other mental health problems is independently associated with increased rates of emotional or behavioral problems of children.

Background Second hand smoke (SHS) exposure, either in utero or during childhood, has been linked to low birth weight, sudden infant death syndrome, upper and lower respiratory infections, increased asthma severity, dental caries, behavioral problems, ADHD, emotional problems, and otitis media (OM).To our knowledge, no previous study has examined the possible association between SHS and sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) in adolescent. Objectives The study objectives were to (1) exam risk factors for sensorial hearing loss in different age, gender, race, and income/poverty groups among adolescents (age 12 to 19) in the U.S. using data from most recent waves of NHANES (2005–2006); and, (2) evaluate the independent association between SHS and sensorial hearing loss among adolescents. Design Cross-sectional analysis of nationally representative data. Setting National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2005–2006. Participants 1533 non-institutionalized adolescents age 12–19 who underwent audiometric testing, had serum cotinine levels available, and were not actively smoking. Measurements The serum cotinine levels, presence of household smokers, and self-report of smoking were used to determine SHS exposure and active smoking. Low frequency hearing loss was defined as the average pure tone level greater than 15 dB for 500, 1000, and 2000 Hz; high frequency hearing loss was defined as the average pure tone level greater than 15 dB for 3, 4, 6, and 8 kHz. Results SHS exposure was associated with elevated pure tone hearing levels at 2, 3 and 4 kHz. and 1.8 fold increased risk of unilateral low frequency SNHL in multivariate analyses (95% C.I.: 1.08-3.46). The incidence of SNHL was directly related to level of SHS exposure as reflected in serum cotinine levels. In addition, nearly 82% of adolescents with low frequency SNHL did not report hearing difficulty. Conclusions SHS is associated with increased incidence of LFSNHL that is directly related to level of exposure. The affected individuals are unaware of the hearing loss. Therefore, early identification and prevention of hearing loss related to SHS may produce significant public health benefits.

We demonstrate for the first time that obesity in childhood is associated with higher hearing thresholds across all frequencies and an almost 2-fold increase in the odds of unilateral low-frequency hearing loss. These results add to the growing literature on obesity-related health disturbances and also add to the urgency in instituting public health measures to reduce it.

Background Smoking behavior is strongly influenced by the social environment. More information is needed about how the composition of households with children is associated with adult smoking behavior so that more effective interventions to reduce children’s secondhand smoke exposure can be devised and implemented. Methods Using data from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey 2000-2004, we conducted cross-sectional analyses assessing how adult smoking behavior is associated with household characteristics, including the number of adults and smokers present, the relationship of the child to the head of household and relationships between adult members of the household. Results Over a third of children (34.4%) live with >1 adult smoker. Almost half of poor children (49.4%) live with a smoker, and they are more likely to live with multiple smokers compared to those living > 400% of poverty (21.2% vs. 7.8%, p<0.001). Approximately 5 million children live in households headed by an adult other than their parent, and they are significantly more likely to live with smokers: 53.4% of children living in their grandparents’ homes and 46.2% of children in homes of other adults live with at least one adult smoker, compared to 33.3% living in their parents’ home (p<0.001). 59.4% of all children who live with a smoker have a smoking mother, and 56.7% of these children live with > 2 smokers, whereas only 17.0% of children whose mothers do not smoke have smoking adults in the home. Conclusions These findings demonstrate the significant influence of household composition on children’s likelihood to live in homes with adult smokers.