What your smoking is doing to your child

Parents smoking affects kids’ grades as well as health

We all know smoking is bad for us but your child doesn’t have to be smoking himself to suffer its effects on his health and wellbeing. New research carried out in the UK indicates that teens exposed to secondhand smoke in their homes are more likely to fail school tests than kids whose parents don’t smoke.

While the failure rate went up if the teenagers themselves smoked, it underlines the importance of maintaining a smoke-free environment for our kids, said leading researcher Dr Bradley Collins, of Temple University in Philadelphia. The World Health Organization’s Global Youth Tobacco survey echoes this, indicating that children exposed to secondhand smoke in their homes may be up to twice as likely to start smoking themselves.

Almost 60% of 3-11 year olds in the US are exposed to secondhand smoke, and up to 75% of US kids have detectable levels of cotinine, the breakdown product of nicotine, in their blood

 

Health effects

Secondhand smoke has long been recognized as a cause of acute respiratory infections, middle ear infections, asthma and slowed lung growth among children. It may also increase the risk of developing cancer in adulthood. One study carried out in Texas suggested that half of middle school students and two thirds of high school students are exposed to secondhand smoke. One interesting factor: kids in that study who were aware that this ‘passive’ smoking could harm their health were less likely to be exposed to it, which may suggest that educating our children makes them more proactive in removing themselves from social situations where they may be breathing in other people’s smoke.

Just say no…

It’s your right to keep your home smoke-free. But being assertive when it comes to limiting your children’s exposure to secondhand smoke can be difficult if your partner, another relative, or any of your friends, smoke. The National Cancer Institute has these tips for saying no to secondhand smoke:

• Make your partner aware of the risks to your child and ask him to smoke outside. If they refuse, suggest they smoke in a separate room your child doesn’t use, or that they sit by an open window to smoke.
• Keep your house well-ventilated and open the windows whenever possible.
• Give visitors who smoke a hint by not providing ashtrays and by making it clear you don’t have any because you don’t smoke around your children.
• Insist that babysitters, grandparents and other caregivers not smoke around your children. If you have to, fib – say it’s doctor’s orders because your child wheezes. 
• If exposure is unavoidable, send your children outside to play if the house is smoky.

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