Posted Sept 24, 2011
There’s been news on the smoking front in recent weeks, and we can only hope the result will be a further decline in the destructive tobacco habit.
The journal Pediatrics reported that children who live in homes where at least one person smokes inside the house miss more days of school than those who live in nonsmoking homes.
The story was based on research from Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, and the findings back the results of earlier research that took place in California and New Jersey.
Scientists in Boston looked at data from a 2005 National Health Interview Study that provided information about the number of people who smoked in their homes and issues with the health of the children ages 6 to 11 living there.
The researchers found that children living with one adult who smoked in the home had 1.06 more days absent from school per year than kids who lived with nonsmokers.
Those who lived with two or more adults who smoked in the home missed 1.54 more days than smoke-free kids.
According to the study authors, 24 percent of absences among children with one smoker in the house were tied to smoking-related illness. The figure was 34 percent for those living with two or more indoor smokers. In particular, ear infections and colds were more common among children living with smokers.
As the researchers pointed out, this situation posed two problems: a risk to educational performance and a cost to families when parents have to stay home to care for a sick child.
According to the study, American parents lose $227 million worth of work time per year caring for children absent from school.
We can only hope that this news offers further incentive for people to quit smoking, or to at least stop doing it in their homes and cars when children are present.
People who decide to quit will find themselves in good company. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported a decline in the number of adults who said they smoked from 2005 to 2010.
The CDC said 19.3 percent of adults surveyed said they smoked in 2010, down from about 21 percent in 2005. The rate for smoking 30 or more cigarettes daily dropped to about 8 percent from almost 13 percent during the same time period.
Researchers interpreted the numbers to mean 3 million fewer adults were smoking, thanks in part to new restrictions on smoking in public in many areas.
CDC director Dr. Thomas Frieden made clear the stakes involved.
“About half of all smokers will be killed by tobacco if they don’t quit,” he said. “You don’t have to be a heavy smoker or a longtime smoker to get a smoking-related disease or have a heart attack or asthma attack.”
So the message is clear. Quitting smoking is good for both the smoker and for his or her family.
The Great American Smokeout is approaching — this year’s date is Nov. 17 — but there’s no need to wait until then. It’s always a good time to kick the habit.
©2011 the Reading Eagle (Reading, Pa.)