Smoking is bad. Period. It is bad for your own health and it is even more dangerous for the bodies of young kids. Everybody is aware of the dangers connected to smoking and second hand smoke.
A new study has added some new negative consequences to the exposure to second hand smoke, Reuters reports. This study has led to some curious conclusions. Apart from the already studied health dangers connected to second hand smoking, it establishes a connection between cigarette smoke and psychological problems.
According to researches fro Harvard School of Public Health, exposure to second hand smoke can cause behavioral problems. Children whose parents are smokers are more prone to experiencing learning difficulties. The percentage of children having attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is higher in the case of parents who are smokers.
The study involved 55,000 children in the US. Researchers tried to establish other connections and to eliminate the influence of second hand smoke. Evidence, however, showed that though other factors could also be responsible for behavioral problems, the effects of second hand smoke on children could not be underestimated.
Such types of studies are still to be carried out for researchers to establish a connection between second hand smoke and behavioral problems that children experience. This early research phase is just sketching a new trend and some unexpected dangers that the children of smokers are exposed to.
Exposure to second hand smoke starts in the womb of the pregnant woman. Many people still fail understanding how detrimental its effects can be. The children of mothers who were active smokers during their pregnancy have a higher ration of learning disorders and behavioral problems.
Scientists believe that the problem could also be connected to genetics.
Parents who are smokers have also had a higher ration of behavioral problems during their childhood. Thus, the story repeats itself. Whatever the reason, second hand smoke seems to be having a very unhealthy effect on the psychological development of young individuals.
Apart from these vague connections, second hand smoke increases the chance of respiratory problems and asthma development in children. The kids of smokers suffer from bronchitis and pneumonia more often than the children of parents who provide a smoke-free environment.
Smoking is still a serious problem in the US. According to statistics, nearly five million children are exposed to second hand smoke at home. The number has decreased over the past few years but it is still significant.
Scientists are still trying to find out how second hand smoke could be causing behavioral problems. The explanation may be very simple. Some researchers believe that young ones are responding to their parents’ smoking in an aggressive and introverted way. This reaction becomes a line of behavior, which is also taken outside the home.
Whatever the reason, all these studies underline the need to protect children from exposure to cigarette smoke. Adults are making a conscious choice, when they decide to continue enjoying the harmful habit. Children, however, have no say in terms of exposure to second hand smoke.