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Mothers can protect themselves, their children from the effects of tobacco
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05/07/15 LICKING COUNTY, OHIO – As a mother, it is your intuition to do everything possible to help your children develop into healthy adults. Did you know each year more than 300,000 children suffer from infections caused by secondhand smoke, including bronchitis, pneumonia and ear infections?
Nearly one in five U.S. adults (45.3 million) still smoked tobacco in 2010, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). So this Mother’s Day the Licking County Health Department is urging mothers, and mothers-to-be, to protect themselves and their children from the dangers of smoking.
Smoking has a detrimental effect on children, as well those who smoke. Secondhand smoke exposure causes sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), acute respiratory infections, and more frequent, severe asthma attacks in children. For women planning to have children, smoking increases the risk for adverse pregnancy-related health outcomes, including infertility, spontaneous abortion, low birth weight, stillbirth, preterm delivery and more.
According to the CDC, smoking remains the leading cause of preventable death in the U.S. It is estimated that 80 percent of all lung cancer deaths in women are caused by smoking. Women who smoke are 13 times more likely to develop lung cancer.
Moms who want to protect their children from the dangers of smoking and secondhand smoke should:
- not let people smoke around children, including babysitters, family or friends.
- should quit using tobacco if they are currently smokers.
Additionally, children of parents who smoke are twice as likely to become smokers. Do you want your child to become a smoker?
Moms, and moms-to-be, who are ready to quit can call the Ohio Tobacco Quit Line at 1-800-QUIT-NOW to take the first step towards quitting tobacco use. For more information, please visit www.lickingcohealth.org.
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