Send Hand Smoke

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Second Hand Smoke

Second Hand Smoke

Mounting evidence points to environmental tobacco exposure as a major contributor to childhood health problems, particularly respiratory diseases.

"Environmental tobacco smoke is one of the leading causes of death of U.S. children", a study on Tobacco and Children asserts. This correlation is so strong that Dr. Catherine D. DeAngelis refers to parents who smoke as "smoking guns." In this study doctors C. Andrew Aligne and Jeffrey J. Stoddard demonstrate that tobacco exposure kills children. The study focuses on mothers because it has been found that maternal smoking (as opposed to smoking by fathers and other caretakers) is most strongly associated with pediatric diseases like asthma. According to the study, the proportion of new mothers in the U.S. who smoke has consistently been estimated at between 25% and 30%. Both maternal smoking during pregnancy, and postnatal exposure to Environmental Tobacco Smoke (ETS), has been a major factor adversely influencing the respiratory health of children.

The health care risks for children exposed to tobacco include higher rates of premature birth, sudden infant death syndrome, respiratory synctial virus bronchiolitis, acute otitis media, asthma, and fire and burn related injury from cigarettes.

Women who smoke during pregnancy, compared with nonsmokers, have more than double the risk of delivering a growth-retarded child. Studies have demonstrated that environmental tobacco smoke exposure for at least 2 hours per day can result in a mean birth weight reduction of 85 g. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has estimated that maternal smoking contributes to approximately 5% of perinatal deaths, or 2800 deaths per year.

Acute otitis media is the most frequently diagnosed ailment in children. There are 3.4 million cases of acute otitis media attributable to involuntary smoking.

A recent study from Boston University School of Medicine and Harvard School of Public Health strongly suggests that children whose moms smoke can develop asthma from inhaling the passive smoke. Children of mothers who smoked at least a half a pack a day were twice as likely to develop asthma as kids of nonsmoking moms. On other studies, fathers smoking wasn't found to have an impact - possibly because they tend to spend less time with pre-school age children than mothers do.

What makes this study of 4,331 kids under five different from other studies is that while previous studies have found that exposure to smoke can worsen asthmatic symptoms, this study says passive smoke can cause asthma by constricting airway muscles and increasing mucous production.

Research indicates that infants with a predisposition to asthma usually develop the disease earlier in life if their moms smoke than they would otherwise. Delaying asthma's onset has long-term benefits because children who contract asthma before age one usually need more emergency treatment and are less likely to outgrow the disease according to the researchers.

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If you missed seeing Healthworks on Prairie Public Television, you still have a chance to keep up to date with these important health issues. Order a videotape copy of any of these interesting and informative programs for only $24.95 per program. Order online or call 1-800-359-6900 to order your copies today.

© 2001 Prairie Public Broadcasting, Inc.

Immunizations Car Seats Helmuts Child Proofing Your Home Water Safety Second Hand Smoke		Second Hand Smoke Mounting evidence points to environmental tobacco exposure as a major contributor to childhood health problems, particularly respiratory diseases. "Environmental tobacco smoke is one of the leading causes of death of U.S. children", a study on Tobacco and Children asserts. This correlation is so strong that Dr. Catherine D. DeAngelis refers to parents who smoke as "smoking guns." In this study doctors C. Andrew Aligne and Jeffrey J. Stoddard demonstrate that tobacco exposure kills children. The study focuses on mothers because it has been found that maternal smoking (as opposed to smoking by fathers and other caretakers) is most strongly associated with pediatric diseases like asthma. According to the study, the proportion of new mothers in the U.S. who smoke has consistently been estimated at between 25% and 30%. Both maternal smoking during pregnancy, and postnatal exposure to Environmental Tobacco Smoke (ETS), has been a major factor adversely influencing the respiratory health of children. The health care risks for children exposed to tobacco include higher rates of premature birth, sudden infant death syndrome, respiratory synctial virus bronchiolitis, acute otitis media, asthma, and fire and burn related injury from cigarettes. Women who smoke during pregnancy, compared with nonsmokers, have more than double the risk of delivering a growth-retarded child. Studies have demonstrated that environmental tobacco smoke exposure for at least 2 hours per day can result in a mean birth weight reduction of 85 g. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has estimated that maternal smoking contributes to approximately 5% of perinatal deaths, or 2800 deaths per year. Acute otitis media is the most frequently diagnosed ailment in children. There are 3.4 million cases of acute otitis media attributable to involuntary smoking. A recent study from Boston University School of Medicine and Harvard School of Public Health strongly suggests that children whose moms smoke can develop asthma from inhaling the passive smoke. Children of mothers who smoked at least a half a pack a day were twice as likely to develop asthma as kids of nonsmoking moms. On other studies, fathers smoking wasn't found to have an impact - possibly because they tend to spend less time with pre-school age children than mothers do. What makes this study of 4,331 kids under five different from other studies is that while previous studies have found that exposure to smoke can worsen asthmatic symptoms, this study says passive smoke can cause asthma by constricting airway muscles and increasing mucous production. Research indicates that infants with a predisposition to asthma usually develop the disease earlier in life if their moms smoke than they would otherwise. Delaying asthma's onset has long-term benefits because children who contract asthma before age one usually need more emergency treatment and are less likely to outgrow the disease according to the researchers.
		COMMON CHILDHOOD ILLNESSES & INFECTIONS \| YOUR CHILD'S DEVELOPMENT PARENTING CHALLENGES \| RESOURCES AND INFORMATION \| ABOUT THIS PROGRAM BACK TO PRAIRIE PUBLIC TELEVISION \| RETURN TO PRAIRIEPUBLIC.ORG HOME PAGE
		Missed A Program? Healthworks on Videotape If you missed seeing Healthworks on Prairie Public Television, you still have a chance to keep up to date with these important health issues. Order a videotape copy of any of these interesting and informative programs for only $24.95 per program. Order online or call 1-800-359-6900 to order your copies today.
		© 2001 Prairie Public Broadcasting, Inc.