SHOULD parents who smoke do not sleep in the same room with their babies. Therefore, the nicotine content of cigarettes attached to the skin or clothing can be dangerous to the health of the baby.
Researchers conducted a study in Catalonia, Spain. The study highlights the effects of tobacco smoke in infants and is associated with a private room. They also interviewed the parents of 1123 infants under the age of 18 months.
After doing the analysis, hair samples in 252 infants contain nicotine. The baby was sleeping with parents who smoke in one room. Levels are even three times higher than babies who sleep apart from parents smokers.
"Being a second-hand smoke is a major cause of child mortality in developed countries," said Guadalupe Ortega, principal investigator, recently. Ortega also added ventilation bedroom may not be effective in reducing levels of toxins in secondhand smoke exposure
Smoke Damaged Child Mental Health
Children who inhale passive smoke are more likely to struggle with mental health problems.
In a massive study on children in Britain were urging parents to stop smoking. "Or at least blow away cigarette smoke outside the home," said the researcher.
But it is unclear whether tobacco smoke is really a direct effect on the brains of children, or there are other things that affect.
"We know that exposure to cigarette smoke associated with many physical health problems in children, although not yet explored the mental health side," said lead researcher Mark Hamer of University College London told Reuters Health via e-mail.
Two of every three children aged between 3-11 years exposed to cigarette smoke in the U.S.. Meanwhile, the group of children aged 9-17, one of five people have been diagnosed with some type of mental disorder or addiction. This data comes from the Department of Health and Human Services U.S..
To see if two related statistics, Hamer and colleagues studied 901 children are not exposed to cigarette smoke exposure between the ages of 4-8 years. They measure the level of side effects of cigarette smoke on the water liuar children to measure exposure to smoke, and the parents fill out questionnaires about their emotional, behavioral and social problems of children.
More and more exposure to tobacco smoke on children, on average have poor mental health. "This is especially true of children hyperactive and other bad behavior," the researchers reported in Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine.
Overall, about 3% of all the kids 'abnormal' has a score of 20 or more on the questionnaire 'Strengths and Difficulties', the scale of 40 points with the highest score representing poor mental health.
There is a gap remained after researchers accounted for other factors that may affect mental health such as asthma, physical activity, family income, and home situation. But it can not negate the role of several factors that are not measurable.
Children are most likely to inhale cigarette smoke in their own homes. But that has not been clear is how cigarette smoke can trigger mental problems.
The researchers estimate that this could be related to the effects of smoke on chemicals in the brain, like dopamine. Genetic factors can also influence, or knowledge that dangerous fumes can make children more depressed because they were forced to breathe every day.
While Hamer noted that more research is needed to confirm the findings, Dr. Michael Weitzman of the New York University Medical Center, who was not involved in the research. Michael said that the results of this study strengthens the evidence that secondhand smoke causes mental health problems in children.
"Many people now realize that smoke exposure in children increases their risk for sudden infant death syndrome, ear infections and asthma," said Weitzman, told Reuters Health via e-mail.
"But the smoke also pose a big burden on quality of life of children, families and larger society, due to increased mental health problems of children," he added.
He recommended that public education about the consequences of smoking, and more efforts to help parents quit smoking.
Hamer suggested that parents should try to avoid smoking in their homes when being around the kids, because it was dangerous for them, both physically and mentally.
Impact of Cigarette Smoke Causes Hyperactivity Risks
Prevent children and pregnant women from exposure to cigarette smoke in the environment are important in the effort to prevent a child from the threat of disease.
A recent study initiated by Frank Bandiera from the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine suggests that exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (second handsmoke) may increase the risk of children suffering from depression and behavioral disorders, including hyperactivity.
This study strengthens the evidence that children of mothers who smoke during pregnancy has the potential to have problems behavioral disorders. Exposure to cigarette smoke is also associated with other health problems such as respiratory and heart diseases in children.
"It is time to prevent children from exposure to smoke," said Dr. Bruce Lanphear, head of the Children's Environmental Health Center in Cincinnati, USA.
"The evidence is sufficient to prevent the diseases mentioned, unfortunately it did not we do," added Lanphear who was not involved in the study.
Bandiera in studies involving about 3,000 children between the ages of 8 to 15 years. Kotinin levels - which was formed after the nicotine is broken down - in the children's bodies were measured. Children with very high levels kotininnya considered as active smokers, so it is not involved in the study. The results of this study published in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.
After considering a number of factors such as age and race, investigators found that boys are exposed to smoke have a tendency to show symptoms of hyperactivity, depression, anxiety and other behavioral disorders. While girls are exposed to smoke only hyperactivity and anxiety symptoms.
Even so, the number of children diagnosed with these disorders have a low positive. Only found in 201 children, or about 7 percent of eligible children who are regarded positively diagnosed with ADHD, 15 other children suffered from depression and 9 positive children experience anxiety disorders
The researchers admit, it is difficult to separate the effects of exposure to cigarette smoke from the condition or disorder caused by pregnant women who smoke during pregnancy.
In comments attached to this research, Dr. Jonathan Samet of the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California stated the importance of further study to determine how the actual exposure to cigarette smoke can affect a baby's brain.
Bandiera also noted that this study can not be membuntikan that exposure to smoke menyebaban mental and behavioral disorders. But for now, parents should keep their children from exposure to cigarette smoke.
Lanphear confirmed, although there is currently no definitive evidence linking exposure to tobacco smoke in the air (secondhand smoke) with mental disorder, would be very surprising if no relationship was found between the two.
