Gender Difference in the Relationship between Passive Smoking Exposure and HDL-Cholesterol Levels in Late Adolescence

Background: High-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C) levels are influenced by gender and by genetic and environmental factors. We aimed to assess the impact of passive smoking exposure since birth on HDL-C levels of nonsmoking adolescents at age 17 years and to determine whether there was a gender difference in the relationship between smoking exposure and HDL-C. Methods: A total of 804 nonsmoking adolescents with biochemical, anthropometric, and lifestyle data from a cohort of 1754 adolescents (mean age, 17 ± 0.25 y) of the Western Australian Pregnancy Cohort (Raine) Study had data of maternal smoking during pregnancy and smoking exposure in the household over 17 years. HDL-C was analyzed using multivariable linear regression, with adjustment for early-life, adiposity, and current lifestyle confounders. Results: HDL-C levels were significantly lower in girls exposed to passive smoking compared to those not exposed (regression coefficient b = −0.09 [95% confidence interval, −0.15, −0.03]); this was no...