Second-hand smoking is known to cause a lot of problems to people's health. It is especially bad for children but not for the same reason it is harmful to grown-ups. A new study at the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University revealed that exposure to secondhand smoking is directly related to obesity and low school grades.
For the study, the team selected 220 overweight or obese 7- to 11-year-old boys and children, gathering reports from their parents whether or not they are exposed to smoke. To make sure that the information is accurate, the team also obtained blood samples from the children measuring the level of cotinine (by-product of nicotine formed in the blood after it enters the body and used as an indicator to smoke) in their blood. After that, the team also measured the children's level of physical activity since it can be a major factor that can influence body fats, ctvnews.ca reported.
"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. "We are talking about a recipe for an unhealthy child who becomes an unhealthy adult who cannot reach their full potential."
After further analysis of their collected data, it showed that there was a 25 percent discrepancy between what parents have said, and what the children's blood revealed. The researchers found a connection between exposure to second-hand smoke and almost all indications of obesity which includes bigger stomachs and overall body fats. They also found out that passive smoking can be connected to a child's cognitive ability meaning that a child exposed to second-hand smoke can have poor attention span and low grades in school.
Parents.com reported that Tingen reminded parents that children are still unable to protect themselves from exposure to smokers. He also said that if you're breathing secondhand smoke, it's almost as bad as if you're smoking it yourself. The team hopes that the study will encourage intervention that will put emphasis on having proper nutrition, adequate physical activity, and the harmful effects of the use of tobacco.
