Environmental tobacco smoke linked to behavior problems in children and pre-teens

Eurekalert ^ | 04/30/06 | Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center

[Moonman62]

SAN FRANCISCO -- A new Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center study shows that exposure to environmental tobacco smoke, even at extremely low levels, is associated with behavior problems in children and pre-teens.

While the study examined 5 to 11 year olds with asthma, the findings most likely could be extrapolated to include children without asthma who "act out" or experience depression and anxiety, according to Kimberly Yolton, Ph.D., a researcher at the Children's Environmental Health Center at Cincinnati Children's and the study's main author

The study will be presented at 8:30 a.m. Pacific time Sunday, April 30, at the annual meeting of the Pediatric Academic Societies in San Francisco.

"This study provides further incentive for states to set public health standards to protect children from exposure to environmental tobacco smoke," says Dr. Yolton.

Dr. Yolton examined 225 children and pre-teens exposed to at least five cigarettes a day. On average, the children were exposed to approximately 14 cigarettes a day. The children were enrolled in an asthma intervention study. Dr. Yolton included additional measures to assess child behaviors.

To measure exposure to environmental tobacco smoke, Dr. Yolton measured levels of cotinine in the children's blood. Cotinine is a substance produced when nicotine is broken down by the body and can be measured in blood, urine, saliva and hair. It is considered the best available marker of environmental tobacco smoke exposure.

Dr. Yolton found a relationship between cotinine levels and increases in acting out; increases in holding things in, often manifested by anxiety and depression; increases in behavior problems as rated by parents, and behavior and school problems as rated by teachers; and, decreases in the ability to adapt to behavior problems.

"The greater the exposure to tobacco smoke, the greater the problems these children had," says Dr. Yolton. "Behavior problems in children have increased from 7 to 18 percent over the last 20 years for reasons that are poorly understood. Exposure to environmental tobacco smoke is increasingly recognized as a risk factor for child behavior problems."

In the United States, about 25 percent of children are exposed to environmental tobacco smoke in their own homes, yet more than 50 percent of children have detectable levels of cotinine in their blood, according to Dr. Yolton.

Previous studies have found link between tobacco smoke and birth weight, number of infections and other health problems, including asthma exacerbations. In a groundbreaking study in 2002, Dr. Yolton found that exposure to environmental tobacco smoke, even at extremely low levels, is associated with decreases in certain cognitive skills, including reading, math, and logic and reasoning, in children and adolescents.

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Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center is a 475-bed institution devoted to bringing the world the joy of healthier kids. Cincinnati Children's is dedicated to transforming the way health care is delivered by providing care that is timely, efficient, effective, family-centered, equitable and safe. Cincinnati Children's ranks third nationally among all pediatric centers in research grants from the National Institutes of Health. It is a teaching affiliate of the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. The Cincinnati Children's vision is to be the leader in improving child health. Additional information can be found at www.cincinnatichildrens.org.

[ridesthemiles]

Horsehocky and then some:

The problem with bad behavior in kids and teens is this:

THERE ARE NO CONSEQUENCES FOR ANY OF THEIR ACTIONS, SMALL OR LARGE!!!!!!

If you try to train a dog or horse and don't reprimand them for doing the wrong thing, and repeat the desired moves until they "get it", then you won't succeed there, either.

How come people who understand how to train a dog cannot understand how to raise a child??

There should be consequences for actions. These kids don't get any such behavior modification thru all their school years, and then when they land in a job, they don't get it when they get written up for something. Glad I don't have to employ them at all anymore.

[Moonman62]

Monty Python, of course.

[Publius6961]

Dr. Yolton examined 225 children and pre-teens exposed to at least five cigarettes a day.

And how did she choose her control group?

Control group? What's a control group?

The 15 year World Health Organization tracking tens of thousands of people found no correlation between environmental smoke and any disease. In fact might have found a slight positive correlation. Of course they didn't test for neuroses...

I wonder what they did wrong?

[markman46]

BS alert

[at bay]

Smoke-blowers aside, SHS is poison. Anything bad comes from poisons. Nothing good, particularly the drivel spewing forth on this otherwise prestigious and noble forum.

Over four hundred poisonous chemicals in cigaette bonfire exhaust. All kinds of nasty effects may be noted.

[Wolfie]

Worrying about the scientific method? Heck, that kind of thinking could put the DEA out of business.

[Moonman62]

And if you can't believe a UN agency who can you believe?

[martin_fierro]

Ping

[elkfersupper]

Any parent that would smoke around an asthmatic child really is bad.

My sainted Father was told to smoke around my asthmatic baby sister by our family physician. She had exactly one asthma attack in her life.

[markman46]

road apples.. SHS is crap, I am a product of smokers, as is the rest of my extended family, and NOT one of us has had any smoking related problems period end of issue.oh ya and we are all in out late 40"s to middle 50"s

[mysterio]

Statists are the real cancer on our society. Your movement must be exposed and shamed.

[facedown]

Cincinnati Children's ranks third nationally among all pediatric centers in research grants from the National Institutes of Health.

And to think that we're paying for this crap.

[G.Mason]

Monty Python's Flyyyyying Cirrrrrrcus!

The year is 932AD and King Arthur and his loyal manservant, Patsy, are seeking worthy knights to join the round table at Camelot. He needs a good team to go in search of the 'Holy Grail'.

Patsy is in charge of the coconut shells which, when knocked together, make the sound of horses hooves.

A French soldier stands on the ramparts of a castle and at the mention of the Holy Grail says that they already have one, so they aren't interested in what the Englishmen have to say.

'I fart in your general direction', says the Frenchman before throwing a cow over the ramparts."

[spunkets]

Dr. Yolton is an incompetent twit. Exposure to liberals is what he's really looking at. I'll bet the IQs of the children drop 50 points just being around him.

[taxesareforever]

environmental tobacco smoke

Now there is a new liberal term. What's next, environmental chewing gum or environmental dog poop?

[elkfersupper]

All kinds of nasty effects may be noted.

But one positive effect is that it apparently prevents smokers from bloviating hysterical B.S.

[Smokin' Joe]

In other news, a distinct correlation has been found between live birth and misbehaviour in children....

[GATOR NAVY]

Don't forget it also kills kittens and unicorns.

[Smokin' Joe]

While I was reading the article I was thinking that it could be that parents who smoke around their children are worse parents.

Oh, and non-smokers kids never misbehave. Puhleeeeze. All this 'research' from the saintly capital of iconic behaviour, in San Francisco!

[Tulane]

I'm not a smoker, and neither is my wife...but this sounds like absolute BULL SH!T.

That is all for now.