Overview

• The Thorax paper reports that paternal prepubertal exposure to second-hand smoke is associated with poorer lung function trajectories in children that persist into middle age.
• Offspring had about 56% higher odds of below-average FEV1 when their fathers were exposed to passive smoking before puberty, after adjustment for other factors.
• The analysis found a doubling of the odds of an early low‑rapid decline in FEV1/FVC among offspring of fathers exposed to passive smoke in childhood.
• An observed doubling of offspring COPD risk by age 53 lost statistical significance after full adjustment, underscoring the study’s observational nature.
• Findings draw on 890 father–offspring pairs from the Tasmanian Longitudinal Health Study, with stronger adverse associations when children themselves also had childhood passive smoke exposure.