Deaths caused by smoking (tobacco) rank second in the world. Approximately ten million people around the world lose their lives every year because of this. It is a reality that there is a serious economic loss in addition to the deaths and diseases caused by smoking. Health costs spent on the treatment of diseases caused by smoking are quite high.
As a result of more than 40 thousand studies on smoking, it is the cause of more than 30 diseases, most of which are fatal, such as COPD, coronary heart disease, stroke, leukemia, chronic bronchitis and infertility. It was found that . Inhaled cigarette smoke contains more than 4 thousand harmful chemicals such as tar, carbon monoxide, nicotine, hydrogen cyanide, formaldehyde, arsenic, ammonia and methane, more than 50 of which are a direct cause of cancer. Some studies predict that 17 million people will die due to cancer in 2030.
Nicotine is an alkaloid used by the tobacco plant to protect against insects and has been used as an insecticide for years. Nicotine, an addictive substance, causes acceleration of blood circulation and increased secretion of adrenal hormone. Carbon monoxide binds to hemoglobin instead of oxygen in the respiratory system, is carried to the cells and prevents the cells from meeting their oxygen needs.
People who are exposed to cigarette smoke even though they do not smoke, that is, passive smokers, are exposed to the ammonium, formaldehyde, vinyl chloride and arsenic in cigarette smoke. and substances such as hydrogen cyanide are inhaled. Although it is a substance mostly used by adults, exposure to its smoke causes babies and children to be among the groups most affected by smoking.
The effect of cigarettes on the baby begins while they are still in the womb. Smoking during pregnancy significantly increases the risk of miscarriage compared to non-smokers. Also, in pregnant women who smoke, the structure of the placenta is damaged and the baby cannot get enough nutrition. This condition can cause low birth weight and developmental delay. Since the baby cannot get enough nutrients from the placenta, developmental delay that begins in the womb can occur after birth. It also requires care and treatment.
Smoking by breastfeeding mothers causes an increase in the nicotine level in the blood, which causes a decrease in the prolactin hormone, which provides milk formation. Studies have shown that nicotine in the mother's blood passes to the baby and the nicotine rate in the baby's blood increases.
In babies and children who grow up exposed to cigarette smoke, their defense mechanisms against microbes weaken due to the effect of toxic substances, and lung diseases such as bronchitis and pneumonia caused by microbes are more common. is encountered. Middle ear infections are very common in babies and children who grow up exposed to cigarette smoke. Chronic ear infections occur in children who have frequent middle ear infections. The eardrums of children who have frequent ear infections are also affected by the inflammation, which may cause loss of hearing function in the child in later ages. The risk of bronchitis and asthma increases significantly in babies and children whose parents smoke.
Today, most of the adults who smoke started smoking because they were influenced by the smoking of the person or people they looked up to when they were children. Although the studies and legal restrictions carried out in our society in recent years regarding smoking and its harms are very effective in creating an awareness that the new generation of babies and children will be less exposed to and will not take as a model, a full awareness has not been created yet. Some parents, who try to act with the awareness that smoking will harm their children, unknowingly make other mistakes. It is wrong to perceive smoking on the balcony or in the kitchen as if you were not smoking inside the house. Cigarette smoke smoked in any part of the house will still affect the babies and children living in that house. One of the biggest negativities that parents overlook is that when they smoke on the balcony or in the kitchen, they leave their child inside with the reflex of protecting them from cigarette smoke and give the child a tablet, phone, etc. or make them sit in front of the television to keep the child away, which can have a very negative impact on the psychosocial development of children and lead to consequences that can reach the level of addiction. . Unfortunately, this situation is overlooked by most adults. A. In addition, smoking is one of the situations that causes parents to spend less time with their children and not to spend quality time.
The negative effects of smoking begin in the womb, so it is very important that the first precaution be taken by the expectant mother and that she never smoke or be exposed to cigarette smoke during pregnancy. Necessary precautions should be taken for environmental exposure after birth, parents should not smoke and smoking should not be allowed at home. It is important for the development of the child that the person(s) who will be role models during childhood, such as mother, father, teacher… should not smoke and that the role models should exhibit healthy behaviors in themselves first.
Children are like the mirror of their parents, their first role models are their parents. . It is very important that parents do not do anything they do not want their children to do. If the right model is provided, the right behavior will be taught.
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