Clearing the air about smoking around children

Over 17,000 children every year are admitted to hospital due to illness caused by breathing their parents’ smoke (1). On World Health Day, which is focusing on the need for ‘Healthy Environments for Children’, the Health Promotion Agency for Northern Ireland is highlighting the risk that passive smoking poses to children’s health.

Dr Brian Gaffney, Chief Executive of the Health Promotion Agency, explains why children are so vulnerable:
“Unlike adults, who can choose whether or not to be in a smoky environment, children have no choice. Parents who smoke may not be aware that children are particularly susceptible to the effects of passive smoking and are more likely to develop serious respiratory and ear infections as a result.

“In addition, children of smokers are more likely to take up the habit themselves because they copy the behaviour of adults and will perceive smoking as the norm if they grow up in a household where adults smoke.”

Parents who would like to give up smoking should remember they do not have to go it alone – help and support are available. For example, the Smokers’ Helpline on 0800 858585, which answered over 3,000 calls from smokers during its first two months, is proving to be a vital source of help and advice for those trying to kick the habit.

Dr Gaffney continues:
“Parents can minimise their children’s exposure to tobacco smoke by not smoking around them and asking other adults to do the same. There are many benefits to a smoke-free environment including fresher air, cleaner smelling clothes and better tasting food, but most importantly and for children in particular, it reduces the risk of developing lifelong and fatal illnesses such as asthma and cancer.

“All parents want to give their children a good start in life and making sure they have clear air to breathe is a good place to start.”

The Health Promotion Agency recently called for a ban on smoking in public places to provide further protection from tobacco smoke to children and non-smokers in Northern Ireland.

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Notes to editors:

1. In the UK 17,000 children under the age of 5 are admitted to hospital every year with illnesses resulting from passive smoking. Smoking kills. A white paper on tobacco. London: Department of Health, 1998.
2. Forty two percent of British children live in a household where at least one person smokes. In: Ash briefing paper. Passive Smoking: The impact on children. July 2002. www.ash.org.uk
3. Each year, on 7 April, the world celebrates World Health Day. On this day around the globe, thousands of events mark the importance of health for productive and happy lives. This year the theme for World Health Day is ‘Healthy Environments for Children’.

For further information:

Contact Jenny Dougan at the Health Promotion Agency on 028 9031 1611.