{"id":11801,"date":"2016-09-15T06:00:49","date_gmt":"2016-09-15T11:00:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.paristn.net\/articles\/?p=11801"},"modified":"2016-09-15T04:36:30","modified_gmt":"2016-09-15T09:36:30","slug":"american-heart-association-says-kids-need-to-be-protected-from-toxic-secondhand-smoke","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.paristn.net\/articles\/2016\/09\/15\/american-heart-association-says-kids-need-to-be-protected-from-toxic-secondhand-smoke\/","title":{"rendered":"American Heart Association says Kids need to be Protected from toxic Secondhand Smoke"},"content":{"rendered":"

American Heart Association Scientific Statement<\/h2>\n

\"AmericanDallas, TX<\/strong> – Parents and policy advocates should take a \u201czero tolerance\u201d approach to exposing children to secondhand cigarette smoke, which can be responsible for lifelong cardiovascular consequences in addition to respiratory and other health issues, according to a new scientific statement published in the American Heart Association journal Circulation<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\"American<\/a>

American Heart Association says Kids need to be Protected from toxic Secondhand Smoke. (American Heart Association)<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cParents should consider making their children\u2019s environment smoke free because cigarette smoke<\/a> exposure is harmful to children\u2019s long-term heart health and may shorten life expectancy,\u201d said Geetha Raghuveer, M.D., M.P.H., pediatric cardiologist and chair of the American Heart Association expert panel that wrote the statement. \u201cChildren exposed to cigarette smoke may develop early heart disease as adults due to poorly functioning, stiffer blood vessels. Some babies who were exposed to cigarette smoke while still in the womb may be at risk for sudden death during infancy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Besides impacting heart function by causing damage to arteries, exposure to secondhand smoke has been associated with other cardiovascular risk factors including obesity, high cholesterol, and insulin resistance \u2013 which is linked to diabetes. Furthermore, children are more likely to become smokers themselves if their parents smoke.<\/p>\n

Since publication of the 1994 American Heart Association statement on this topic, experts have learned more about the dangers of secondhand smoke to children, including the high level of toxicity in the smoke that comes from the end of a burning cigarette (\u201cside stream smoke\u201d \u2013 this is a major component of second hand smoke) and the damage smoke does to children\u2019s blood vessels, Raghuveer said.<\/p>\n

Secondhand smoke contains a host of chemicals that can impact health by causing changes to blood flow, blood vessels, blood pressure and heart rhythm.<\/p>\n

Compared with adults, children are especially vulnerable to secondhand smoke exposure in part because they cannot control tobacco use in their surroundings, and they appear to be particularly susceptible physically to the smoke\u2019s effects.<\/p>\n

Overall, an estimated 24 million nonsmoking children and youths are exposed to secondhand smoke in the U.S., largely because of parents who smoke. Blood testing in a 2011-12 national study detected a nicotine metabolite called cotinine in nearly 41 percent of children ages 3 to 11, and in 34 percent of kids ages 12 to 19 \u2014 despite declines over recent decades in both adult smoking rates and the proportions of young children and adolescents living with smokers.<\/p>\n

[320left]There is also a clear disparity in exposure among minority children and those from poor families compared with their peers. Data from 2011-12 show that 68 percent of non-Hispanic African-American children aged 3 to 11 had been exposed to secondhand smoke, compared with 37 percent of non-Hispanic white and 30 percent of Hispanic children.<\/p>\n

\u201cEncouraging adults to quit smoking is a cost-effective and health-enhancing strategy that could benefit both adults and children,\u201d said Raghuveer, who is also professor of pediatrics at Children\u2019s Mercy Hospital and Clinics in Kansas City, Missouri. \u201cRaising cigarette taxes to discourage smoking could also decrease childhood exposure.\u201d<\/p>\n

The statement also has suggestions aimed at healthcare professionals that include electronic medical records that could alert healthcare providers that a child is exposed to cigarette smoke, training in motivational counseling to help families make changes, and early outreach to families through Head Start, an early education program from the United States Department of Health and Human Services. Although research is lacking on how effective some of these steps might be, it\u2019s essential to try, Raghuveer said.<\/p>\n

Co-authors are David A. White, Ph.D.; Laura L. Hayman, Ph.D.; Jessica G. Woo, Ph.D.; Juan Villafane, M.D.; David Celermajer, M.D.; Kenneth D. Ward, Ph.D.; Sarah D. de Ferranti, M.D., M.P.H.; and Justin Zachariah, M.D. Author disclosures are on the manuscript.<\/p>\n

Additional Resources:<\/strong><\/p>\n