Study: Children exposed to secondhand smoke more likely to end up in hospital
Community Connections Tobacco Free Lincoln County Coalition has long encouraged residents to protect their children from secondhand smoke. A new study by the University of Cincinnati provides evidence of the importance of their work.
According to U.C. News, the year-long study followed children ages 0 to 17 who lived in situations where they were exposed to secondhand smoke, and others who were not exposed. Not only did smoke-exposed children have more emergency room visits, but they were more likely to then be hospitalized and require procedures such as nasal aspiration, steroid and albuterol treatments (to open air passages) and other similar procedures.
Overall, smoke-exposed children were 24 times as likely to be hospitalized than were children who were not exposed to secondhand smoke.
Locally, Community Connections cautions residents to protect their children by having smoke-free homes and vehicles and choosing smoke-free apartments to live in.
The lead author of the U.C. study was Ashley Merianos, associate professor of health promotion and education at the university. She said secondhand smoke exposure “places developing children at higher risk for many health problems, including respiratory illnesses.”
“Despite major progress in tobacco control, about four in 10 children remain exposed to tobacco smoke,” she said.
A detailed report of the study was published on Feb. 23 in Plos One.\
This story was published in The North Platte Telegraph on March 31, 2021 and is based on a press release from Community Connectiions Tobacco Free Lincoln County. See https://nptelegraph.com/lifestyles/university-of-cincinnati-releases-youth-smoke-exposure-study/article_c5712ca8-9297-11eb-8cae-3fcae9285358.html