Prenatal exposure to paternal smoking and likelihood for autism spectrum disorder.
Bora Kim, Mina Ha, Young Shin Kim and 11 others
PMID 33878952WHAT IT FOUND
In two large Korean child samples, fathers who smoked during pregnancy had children more likely to screen positive for high likelihood of autism.
The association was small and does not prove cause.
Key findings
01After adjustment, the odds of a child being in a higher autism likelihood group were 1.27 times as high when the father smoked during pregnancy (95% CI 1.10-1.47, p=0.001).
02After adjustment, the odds of offspring being in a higher autism likelihood group were 1.15 times as high when the father smoked before and during pregnancy (95% CI 1.05-1.25, p=0.003).
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
Paternal smoking was reported after the fact, so exposure status or timing may be wrong. Autism likelihood was measured by a screening questionnaire, not by clinical diagnosis, so children without autism may have been included in the higher likelihood groups. The study cannot prove that paternal smoking caused autism; unmeasured genetic or family factors may contribute. Mothers completed most questionnaires and may have under-reported maternal smoking. The authors did not have data on children whose families did not respond.
Declared interests
The authors report no conflicts of interest. The article metadata lists NIH and non-U.S. government research support.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that a father's smoking caused autism or that quitting would prevent a known share of autism cases. The study found only a small association with screening likelihood, and the authors state causation was not established.