April 5, 2023
By Avery Crosley

This study used machine learning techniques to classify children into three different groups of reported tobacco exposure: no tobacco smoke exposure, thirdhand smoke exposure, and second- and thirdhand smoke exposure. Of the 4,485 nonsmoking 3–17 year-olds in the study, the machine learning model reported that 76% of children were classified as no tobacco smoke exposure, 16% were classified as thirdhand smoke exposed, and 8% were classified as mixed second- and thirdhand smoke exposed.

Compared to the true results from biomarkers taken from the children, the prediction model reported accuracies of 100% for no tobacco smoke exposure, 88% for thirdhand smoke exposed, and 71% for mixed second-and thirdhand smoke exposed. This new technique may help us better understand complicated exposure, such as when children are exposed to both second- and thirdhand smoke exposure.

Image: Merianos et. al. (2023). Distinguishing Exposure to Second- and Thirdhand Smoke among U.S. Children Using Machine Learning: NHANES 2013−2016. Environ. Sci. Technol., 57, 5, 2042–2053

Click here to read the research study.