Parents' Role In Protecting Children From Secondhand Smoke

Main Category: Smoking / Quit Smoking
Also Included In: Respiratory / Asthma;  Pediatrics / Children's Health
Article Date: 29 May 2008 - 3:00 PST

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Parents can play a crucial role in protecting their children's health, simply by not smoking in their presence. That is the message of a new joint position statement issued today by the Faculty of Public Health (FPH) and Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) ahead of this year's World No Tobacco Day (31 May), the theme of which is 'tobacco-free youth.'

FPH and ASH are urging parents, carers and other family members to ensure their homes are smoke-free and to not smoke in the car or any other enclosed space when children are present. They say by doing this, parents are not only protecting their children's health but acting as positive role models, as children whose parents smoke are around three times more likely to take up smoking themselves.

What's more, most parents are not aware of the serious effects they could be having on their children's health. According to the statement, a national survey revealed that even when prompted only around half of adults (57 per cent) knew that exposure to tobacco smoke increased the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (cot death) while just over a third (36 per cent) realised it increased the risk of ear infections, both of which have been shown to have clear links to secondhand smoke.1

There is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke yet it is estimated that about four in every ten children in UK households are exposed to secondhand smoke in their home - around five million children.2

Secondhand smoke has been shown to cause a range of health problems in children such as increased susceptibility to chest infections, including bronchitis and pneumonia, as well as increased risk of asthma, glue ear and middle ear infections. Thousands of children are admitted to hospital every year as a result of these conditions, and it is children in disadvantaged households who are most likely to be exposed to secondhand smoke and suffer these ill effects.

As well as working to promote positive parenting with regards to smoking, FPH and ASH are also calling on the government to educate the public and health professionals on the health risks to children posed by secondhand smoke, and to make sure that stop smoking services are adequately funded and targeted towards disadvantaged smokers.

"Parents and carers of children have an absolutely essential role to play in protecting them from the harmful effects of secondhand smoke," said FPH President Alan Maryon Davis.

"We welcome World No Tobacco day as a great public health initiative and stress that it is vitally important that parents and carers do not smoke in the presence of children. As our position statement shows, many people remain unaware of the damaging health effects this can have - and stopping smoking is not only the best thing you can do for your own health, but also that of your children. Smoking is both deadly and addictive and it is essential that we do all we can to both protect children from the effects of other people's smoke and prevent them from taking up the habit themselves."

Deborah Arnott, Director of ASH said: "Thanks to the smokefree law in public places adults are now largely protected from secondhand smoke but children do not have the same level of protection. Day after day, millions of children are forced to breathe in their parents' tobacco smoke resulting in thousands of preventable cases of respiratory illnesses. The only way for parents to ensure that their children are not exposed to deadly tobacco smoke is for them to make their homes and cars smokefree."

Notes

-- FPH and ASH have produced a position statement on the health effects of secondhand smoke on children: Children and Secondhand Smoke is available to download from: http://www.fph.org.uk or http://www.ash.org.uk

-- For more information about World No Tobacco Day visit: http://www.who.int/tobacco/wntd/2008/en/index.html

-- The Faculty of Public Health (FPH) is the leading professional body for public health specialists in the UK. It aims to promote and protect the health of the population, and improve health services, by maintaining professional and educational standards, advocating on key public health issues, and providing practical information and guidance for public health professionals. http://www.fph.org.uk

-- ASH (Action on Smoking and Health) is a health campaigning charity working to eliminate the harm caused by tobacco. It was founded by the Royal College of Physicians, and continues to collaborate with the College and other health organisations to achieve its aims. http://www.ash.org.uk

References

1. Office for National Statistics. 2006. Smoking-related behaviour and attitudes. London: ONS.

2. British Medical Association Board of Science. 2007. Breaking the cycle of children's exposure to tobacco smoke. London: BMA.

http://www.ash.org.uk