Many children still exposed at home to tobacco smoke - exposure linked to behavioral problems

May 3 2006

According to research in the U.S. even though most Americans are in agreement with smoking restrictions in public places, many adults still expose their children to significant health risks by smoking cigarettes at home.

Dr. Robert McMillen, a Mississippi State University researcher says there have been significant changes in adult attitudes and behaviors over the past six years regarding secondhand smoke, yet 10% of households are prepared to allow indoor smoking in the presence of children.

McMillen's research comes in the form of a report, "Changes from 2000 to 2005 in U.S. Adult Attitudes and Practices Regarding Children's Exposure to Secondhand Smoke," and is based on his comprehensive 2000 National Social Climate Survey of Tobacco Control.

McMillen, a leading authority on secondhand smoke, presented the scientific paper at the annual meeting of the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) in San Francisco.

The 2000 survey was funded by MSU's Social Science Research Center, where McMillen is an associate research professor, the Center for Child Health Research of the American Academy of Pediatrics; and the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station.

McMillen and his research team conducted six annual cross-sectional household telephone surveys in the summers of 2000-2005, while numerous state and national tobacco control programs were being implemented.

The surveys included national probability samples of adults from all 50 states, and had a response rate of 75-87 percent.

They found that support for smoking bans increased in shopping malls, restaurants, fast-food restaurants, outdoor parks and indoor sporting events.

Regarding household practices, support increased from 69 to 77 percent for smoke-free homes; and from 79 to 90 percent for smoking bans when children are present.

In separate research also presented at the meeting, scientists at Cincinnati Children's Medical Center have found that children who are exposed to tobacco smoke have more behavioral problems, such as hyperactive, disruptive behaviors and depressive, withdrawal and anxiety behaviors.

Kimberly Yolton, an assistant professor of pediatrics at the center, studied over 200 children, aged five to 11 and found a clear relationship between behavior and tobacco exposure; it seems the bigger the exposure, the bigger the problems and even those children breathing in relatively low levels of cigarette smoke had behavior issues.

The PAS Annual Meeting is the largest international meeting that focuses on research in child health. The PAS consists of the American Academy of Pediatrics, Ambulatory Pediatric Association, American Pediatric Society, and Society for Pediatric Research.