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Completed

NCT Number: NCT01639235

Effects of Secondhand Smoke on Flight Attendant Health

This is a study on a population of flight attendants who were exposed to occupational secondhand tobacco smoke (SHS). This research will examine associations between flight attendant SHS exposure and development of respiratory illnesses, reproductive problems, and cardiovascular diseases.

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Key information

Conditions

Cardiopulmonary Disease Cardiovascular Diseases Heart Diseases Pulmonary Heart Disease

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Observational

Primary location

University of California, San Francisco

San Francisco, California, 94143, United States

About this study

The main hypothesis of this study is that exposure to the secondhand tobacco smoke (SHS) in the confined workspace of commercial aircraft prior to the ban of cigarette smoking is responsible for long-term damage on the health of nonsmoking flight attendants. We will compare the data collected from our pre-ban flight attendant participants to age-matched, nonsmoking controls from the NHANES (National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey) database. The results of our study should permit us to determine if SHS exposure is the cause of long-term increased cardiovascular morbidity and risk, as well as increased susceptibility to respiratory illnesses.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Never smoker flight attendants who began working for airlines before the smoking ban on aircrafts went into effect. Never smoker is defined as those with history of tobacco use of less than 100 cigarettes in their lifetime.
  • SHS exposure for at least 1 year while working with the airlines.

Exclusion criteria

  • Less than 1 year of occupational exposure to SHS
  • Smoking more than 100 cigarettes over a lifetime

Treatment and study plan

Primary outcomes

  1. Characterize the long-term effects of SHS on lung and cardiovascular function in pre-ban flight attendants

    Time frame: 25 minutes

    A spirometry test is performed by the Clinical Research Coordinator to establish the lung function of the flight attendant participant and medical assistants from the cardiovascular care clinic administer a 12-lead non-invasive electrocardiogram.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Clinical Examination

    Time frame: 30 min

    The cardiologist performs a noninvasive assessment of the patient's vascular function, which includes a brief physical examination, blood pressure measurement, pulse, and oxygen level.

  2. Characterize the long term effects of prolonged flight time and SHS on reproductive health

    Time frame: 10 minutes

    Flight attendants fill out the electronic Exposure Questionnaire prior to their appointments. Part of the Questionnaire is a section on reproductive health. The answers to these survey questions in addition to information gathered and saved in the local medical record system (APeX) during the clinic visit are used for analysis on reproductive health of flight attendants.

  3. Characterize the biomarkers of SHS exposure

    Time frame: 10 minutes

    A 45 mL blood specimen is drawn from interested patients to be stored in the research lab as well as analyzed in a University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) laboratory. Results of the blood analysis performed in the research labs, such as secondhand smoke biomarkers and advanced lipid biomarkers, will not be shared with the subject.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

University of California, San Francisco

Other

Collaborators

  • Flight Attendant Medical Research Institute

Registry information

Official study title

Cardiopulmonary Effects of Secondhand Smoke Exposure on Flight Attendants

Acronym: FAMRI

Important dates

Study start
2005
Primary completion
2020
Study completion
2020
First posted
Jul 12, 2012
Registry last updated
Jan 28, 2021

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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