Posted on 05/23/2006 11:53:56 AM PDT by 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.
My BS detector actually exploded as I scanned across this little piece of editorial manure. Sigh! I knew I should have invested in the industrial strength model.
San Fransisco...maybe we all misread this and they were talking about the negative effects of pole smoking
"road apples.. SHS is crap, I am a product of smokers,"
As am I and my brother and my sister. As was my grandmother, uncles, etc. Smoking related illenesses (cancer, emphazema, etc.) have claimed no lives in my family. Of my family members, those who don't work themselves to death historically tend to live into their 90's.
The person who wrote this was smoking something other than tobacco.
I don't doubt that there's some direct effect, but I suspect that there's a strong correlation between poor parenting skills and parents who smoke in their homes with young children, and that the latter accounts for at least as much of the problem as the smoke itself.
Marijuana is 7 times more dangerous than tobacco smoke!
Most people that smoke are addicted and thus have a behavior problem.
People that have behavior problems will have children that have behavior problems.
Other people who held this belief found themselves in control of Germany in the late-1930's.
I am in awe of your omnipotent powers!!!!!!!!!
Teach me the truth, Master!~!!!!!!!!
"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."
That's odd, the percentage of adult smokers went down from 30.1 to 20.9 from 1987 to 2006.
"Most people that smoke are addicted and thus have a behavior problem."
"People that have behavior problems will have children that have behavior problems"
Wow. What a statement. I can only hope to reach the almighty high standards you have set in place.
But alas, as a mortal, I am doomed to fail.
Blaming an increase in behavior problems over that time period on smoking doesn't make any sense.
And just about the same amount of chemicals can be found in your Christmas dinner! heh!
Well, we all know that Moonman62 and at bay are the resident Free Republic anti's! They never have anything good to say about any of us that smoke and are always looking for a reason to trash us.
Hence: that is why moonboy posted a smoking thread. heh!
Which is why the resident smokers in Free Republic never post a thread like this. A total waste of bandwidth!
Anyone know if Joe Kennedy smoked? Or Rose, maybe?
"Most people who must run 10 miles a day are addicted and thus have a behavior problem."
"Most people who must work out in a gym 5 times a week are addicted and thus have a behavior problem."
"Most people that pop a can of Pepsi first thing in the morning are addicted and thus have a behavior problem."
All kinds of addictions. Right? 
On what basis do you disagree with the findings?
The design of the study is very straight forward.
The chemical found in the blood is a reliable measure.
The assessment of behavioral problems was very straight-forward.
It's a very tightly structured, well executed study.
I realize that there are people who still insist that the earth is flat. But we don't normally consider their position very logical.
One can argue with this study. But to argue that the study's facts are not facts is . . . AT A MINIMUM VERY ILLOGICAL.
And, unfactual.
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