Second-hand smoke increases fatness, hinders cognition in children

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-01/mcog-ssi012816.php

Public Release: 28-Jan-2016
Second-hand smoke increases fatness, hinders cognition in children
Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University

Exposure to second-hand smoke is associated with a larger waist and poorer cognition in children, researchers say.

"The take-home message is that for these children, smoke exposure was connected to two major adverse health outcomes, one above the neck and one below the neck," said Dr. Catherine Davis, clinical health psychologist at the Georgia Prevention Institute at the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University.

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"All the bad things fat does to us, passive smoking makes worse," said study co-author Dr. Martha S. Tingen, Charles W. Linder, M.D. Endowed Chair in Pediatrics at MCG and director of the Tobacco Control Program at the Cancer Center at Augusta University.

"And children who were exposed to second-hand smoke scored poorer on all cognitive tests," shortfalls that can translate to a poorer attention span and lower grades in the classroom and on standardized tests, Tingen said. "We are talking about a recipe for an unhealthy child who becomes an unhealthy adult who cannot reach their full potential."

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