Exposure to tobacco smoke in the home increases childhood illnesses, health care demand

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-04/aaop-ett042516.php

Public Release: 30-Apr-2016
Exposure to tobacco smoke in the home increases childhood illnesses, health care demand
Study to be presented at Pediatric Academic Societies 2016 Meeting finds that children living with smokers more frequently need medical care
American Academy of Pediatrics

Children who live with smokers end up in the doctor's office or hospital more often than those not exposed to tobacco smoke, according to new research being presented at the Pediatric Academic Societies 2016 Meeting.

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Results showed a total of 24 percent of the 95,677 children in the study, corresponding to a weighted total of 17.6 million children across the United States, lived with smokers. About 5 percent of the children lived with someone who smokes inside the home, equivalent to a weighted sum of 3.6 million U.S. children.

Researchers said that children who lived with a smoker or who had exposure to tobacco smoke inside the home were significantly more likely to have had any medical care visit, including sick care. At the same time, researchers said, they were considerably less likely to have had any dental care visits.

Lead author Ashley Merianos, PhD, a certified health education specialist and assistant professor in the School of Human Services at the University of Cincinnati, said several previous studies already established that tobacco smoke causes physical health consequences in children, including respiratory symptoms, increased infections and asthma flare-ups. Fewer studies had examined whether tobacco smoke exposure translates into more frequent pediatric health care visits.

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tags: second hand smoke