A new study shows children who are exposed to cigarette smoke in their own homes are more likely to miss school than kids living in smoke free homes. The report, done by researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital, says children of smokers tend to get sicker.
The proof
Researchers say children living with smokers have a higher rate of respiratory problems that are often caused by second hand smoke. The study outlines the problems and the economic impact of the absences at school.
“Among children ages 6 to 11 who live with smokers, one quarter to one third of school absences are due to household smoking,” says Douglas Levy, PhD, of the Mongan Institute for Health Policy at MGH, the paper’s lead author. “On a national basis these absences result in $227 million in lost wages and time for caregivers or their employers.”
The numbers
According to the study, one third of U.S. children live with at least one smoker. “Second-hand smoking has been shown to increase incidence of ear infections and several respiratory conditions, and school absenteeism is an accessible measure of serious illness in children,” a statement said.
The health risk
“The health impact of living with a smoker is probably more extensive than our study shows, since the survey only asked about three conditions associated with smoke exposure and we know there are several more. And since the absentee levels we report are averages, there are probably are kids who miss much more school because they live with smokers than our study found,” Levy said.
“More research is needed to help understand the long-term health, developmental and economic consequence of growing up in a home where people smoke.”
Other reports have come out about the role smoking plays on children. In Austria, some lawmakers are trying to ban smoking in cars while children are present. Others are trying to ban smoking in public housing, all in an effort to protect children from secondhand smoke.
