# Prevalence and Clinical Correlates of Thirdhand Smoke Exposure in a Pediatric Patient Population

> **NIH NIH R01** · CINCINNATI CHILDRENS HOSP MED CTR · 2022 · $14,852

## Abstract

There is unequivocal evidence that tobacco smoke exposure (TSE) is associated with clinical morbidity and
increased healthcare utilization in children. Our team has observed that 91% of smokers’ children have high
rates of TSE as assessed with cotinine, a metabolite of nicotine and a measure of recent TSE. In order to
provide clinicians with an accurate assessment of their patients’ long-term TSE and associated clinical effects,
biomarkers are needed that can demonstrate this clinically relevant information. Our overarching hypothesis is
that DNA methylation (DNAm) may serve as a biomarker of long-term postnatal TSE in children. This
hypothesis is based on research indicating that DNAm results in gene expression and transcription regulation.
Specifically, children with prenatal TSE have lower DNAm levels of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor repression
(AHRR) gene cytosine-[phosphate]-guanine (CpG) dinucleotide cg05575921 compared to children with no
prenatal TSE; these patterns are similar to those seen in adult smokers. However, there are a paucity of
studies examining DNAm and postnatal TSE and they are limited by the: use of blood samples only, lack of
inclusion of racially diverse children, and lack of inclusion of children with high TSE levels. To bridge these
critical gaps, this diversity supplement will expand our understanding of the use of buccal swabs to analyze
DNAm patterns and will elucidate the DNAm patterns present in racially diverse children with high TSE levels.
To accomplish this, we will examine DNAm patterns from buccal swabs of Black, Non-Hispanic female
children, 0-5 years of age whose mothers are active smokers; child samples will be compared to buccal
samples from their mothers, and also matched with a group of children who have no TSE. The overall objective
is to measure genome-wide gene expression and DNAm and to identify and compare differentially methylated
CpGs in children of smokers and their mothers, and children of nonsmokers, focusing on loci implicated by
previous studies (Aim 1) and to examine the association between DNAm levels compared to cotinine levels
and maternal-reported TSE patterns in children, maternal-reported tobacco use patterns, and child illness
types (Aim 2). This supplement will greatly facilitate the career goals of the candidate, Ms. Olivia Gittens, a
Latina and Caribbean undergraduate student. Ms. Gittens’s career goal is to be an independent clinician-
scientist studying how potentially modifiable prenatal and postnatal exposures affect young children’s
epigenomes and associated clinical outcomes. To support her career development, during this grant period
she will obtain training on: 1) laboratory techniques and handling of specimens, 2) research techniques in
biochemistry and molecular biology, 3) statistical analyses and interpretation of results, 4) research
communication through peer review and academic conferences, and 5) ethics in research and career
development. Training in these areas ...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10436539
- **Project number:** 3R01ES030743-03S1
- **Recipient organization:** CINCINNATI CHILDRENS HOSP MED CTR
- **Principal Investigator:** E. Melinda Mahabee-Gittens
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $14,852
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2022-01-07 → 2023-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10436539

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10436539, Prevalence and Clinical Correlates of Thirdhand Smoke Exposure in a Pediatric Patient Population (3R01ES030743-03S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-07-31 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10436539. Licensed CC0.

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