You’ve probably heard that secondhand smoke causes numerous health problems in infants and children, including severe asthma attacks, respiratory infections, and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). You’ve probably also heard that smoking during pregnancy can result in low birth weights and miscarriages.
Here are some other effects on children that you might not know about:
- Children regularly exposed to tobacco smoke at home are more likely to develop early emphysema in adulthood. Researchers suggest children’s lungs may not recover completely from the effects of early-life exposures to tobacco smoke.
- Youth who live with a smoker or someone who uses smokeless tobacco are more likely to use tobacco themselves.
- Children of mothers who were exposed to tobacco smoke during pregnancy have lower scores on tests for cognitive development at age two compared to children living in smoke free homes.
- Children exposed to secondhand smoke are at higher risk for ear infections, bronchitis, and pneumonia.
The best way to protect your children from the toxic chemicals in secondhand smoke is to quit smoking.
You can get free coaching and support to quit smoking or chewing tobacco by calling the Indiana Tobacco Quitline at 1-800-QUIT-NOW.