In-house Quality and Safety

Air quality (smoking)

The map shows the prevalence of current smoking among adults aged >=18 years (at the census tract level) in the City of Boston from 2015 to 2016.

How are smoking and housing related?

Smoking is known to be the leading cause of preventable death since it leads to disease and harms nearly every organ of the body.1 Environmental tobacco smoke is negatively associated with cognitive abilities among children.2 Also, it is associated with more frequent exacerbations of asthma in child patients.3 Smoking is also a risk factor for residential fire incidents.

Smoke Free Homes: Boston Public Health Commission (BPHC) offers resources for landlords and tenants to support smoke-free housing.

Smoke-Free Policy: Boston Housing Authority (BHA) and BPHC work together to improve access to smoke-free housing for low-income families in Boston.

Data Source:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (2018). 500 Cities (2015-2016 data; released in 2018). Retrieved from here.

References:

1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (2019). Smoking & Tobacco Use. Retrieved from here.

2. Yolton, K., Dietrich, K., Auinger, P., Lanphear, B. P., & Hornung, R. (2004). Exposure to environmental tobacco smoke and cognitive abilities among US children and adolescents. Environmental health perspectives, 113(1), 98-103.

3. Chilmonczyk, B. A., Salmun, L. M., Megathlin, K. N., Neveux, L. M., Palomaki, G. E., Knight, G. J., ... & Haddow, J. E. (1993). Association between exposure to environmental tobacco smoke and exacerbations of asthma in children. New England journal of medicine, 328(23), 1665-1669.