Children living in homes with smokers have more respiratory infections, consultations and hospital admissions than those living in tobacco-free homes. Further, one in five pregnant women smokes during pregnancy.
These are two of the conclusions of the study on tobacco exposure, published in 'Prevention of Smoking', the journal of the Smoking Area of the Spanish Society of Pulmonology and Thoracic Surgery (SEPAR).
This study estimates that Children of smoking parents would receive a total annual nicotine dose equivalent to smoking 60-150 cigarettes a year.
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SEPAR explains that smoking homes have high levels of environmental nicotine. Children are more vulnerable because of their lower body surface area and weight, together with the fact that a child under 18 months passes at home 60-80% of the time.
Exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (HAT) during childhood is associated with an increase in the relative risk of acute respiratory infections, ENT and asthma.
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To assess the effects of passive smoking in childhood, particularly from zero to three years, SEPAR conducted a retrospective study in the primary care pediatrics consultations of a health center in Madrid. 150 children participated. Of all of them, 43.3% were exposed to tobacco.
37% of fathers, 26% of mothers and 46% of primary caregivers declared themselves smokers. Among women, 19% smoked during pregnancy.
"These data are the reflection that there is a high percentage of smokers in homes with children and a high percentage of pregnant women who continue their habit during pregnancy."
Explains Dr. Eva de Higes, director of the magazine 'Prevention of Smoking', where the study was published, and pulmonologist at the Alcorcón Foundation Hospital in Madrid. And he adds that they are also worried that:
"The group of main caregivers represents the highest percentage of smokers (46%), since this group is probably the least aware of the risks of exposing children to HAT and continuing their harmful habit."
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The study authors point out that the risk of wheezing in the first two years of life increases when the mother or both parents are smokers.
And the risk goes down if the smoker is only the father, perhaps because the baby is more exposed during pregnancy and during the first months of his life, when it is the woman who smokes, by proximity.
The study has also confirmed that Pediatrician consultations for respiratory infections were higher in children exposed to tobacco: 9 cases of respiratory infections versus 7.4 of unexposed children.
Regarding the type of infections, the small ones exposed to tobacco suffered a total number of bronchiolitis episodes significantly higher than those living in a smoke-free home.
For all these reasons, these experts conclude:
“It is necessary to raise awareness and design programs to publicize the consequences of contact with active and passive tobacco smoke, improve the motivation and self-efficacy of smokers to quit smoking and foster a positive attitude towards prevention by health professionals ”.
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