What negative effects does tobacco smoke have on children? Children who are exposed during childhood to smoke from their parents or their family environment have a wider waist and a body mass index (BMI) higher than 10 years compared to children whose parents did not smoke in front of them, according to the conclusion. latest study from the University of Montreal (Canada).
The resolution of the research is clear: “At age 10, children who had been exposed intermittently or continuously to tobacco smoke were likely to have waists up to 2 centimeters wider than their peers . And their BMI scores were likely to be 0.48 to 0.81 points higher. This prospective association is almost as great as the influence of tobacco use during pregnancy, ”explains Linda Pagani, leader of the study.
The researchers used data collected from the Quebec Longitudinal Study of Child Development, a broad survey of children born in this area with a wide variety of information relating to both the development of the child and the parents, their social environment, behavior … In total, 2,055 families and their corresponding descendants were analyzed.
According to the scientists, these findings could have serious long-term effects on the child’s health. This weight gain caused by early parental exposure to smoke could be influencing endocrine imbalances and also altering neurodevelopmental functioning in this critical period of child development.
“The mechanisms by which household smoke negatively influence the immune system, neurological development and cardiovascular processes are multiple. Our results underscore the importance of public health initiatives and parent awareness aimed at reducing exposure to tobacco smoke during critical early childhood years, ”concludes Pagani.
