| 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.
END
Notes
to editors:
- 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.
- 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
- 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.
|
