A Comparison of the Smoking Outcomes of Self-reported and Agency-Notified Child Abuse in a Population-Based Birth Cohort at 30-Year-Old Follow-up.

Retrospective studies show an association between self-reported child abuse and subsequent tobacco use. Prospective studies of reports to statutory agencies are less common with limited information on people in their 30s. In addition, there have been no comparisons of self- and agency-reported abuse on smoking outcomes even though they may represent different populations. We therefore compared the effect of both on smoking outcomes at 30-year-old follow-up of 2443 adults from the same birth cohort. On adjusted analyses, both self- and agency-reported maltreatment showed significant associations with the prevalence and persistence of smoking. Smoking prevention and cessation programs should therefore target both groups.