Tobacco smoke is an important environmental pollutant. Smoking harms not only the smoker but also those around him; Children are the ones most affected. Even if the person does not smoke himself, he becomes a passive smoker.
Used cigarette smoke is a mixture of the smoke coming from a burning cigarette and the smoke exhaled by the smoker. It is also known as Environmental Cigarette Smoke (ESS) and is easily recognized by its distinctive odor. ESD pollutes the air and gets on clothes, curtains and furniture. Most people find ESD unpleasant, irritating, and irritating to the eyes and nose. More importantly, it is a dangerous health threat. More than 4000 different chemicals have been identified in ESD, and at least 43 of them cause cancer.
Additionally, cadmium and lead concentrations in tobacco are relatively high. Cigarette smoke remains in the smoking room for 3-4 hours and causes indoor pollution. The effects of cigarette smoking on many organs and systems, especially the respiratory tract, in adults are well known. 75-90% of deaths due to chronic obstructive lung diseases (due to narrowing of the respiratory tract), 25-30% of deaths due to coronary heart diseases, 80-90% of deaths due to lung cancer, and 30% of deaths due to all cancers. Its relationship with smoking has been shown.
While smoking is decreasing in developed countries, it is increasing in developing countries.
The prevalence of smoking in Turkey is still 43.6% and cigarette consumption has increased by 22% in the last 30 years. These figures show that the number of passive smokers in Turkey is quite high.
Blood flow in the mother, fetus and placenta changes every time a pregnant woman smokes. However, the long-term health effects of these changes are unknown. Some studies have shown that smoking during pregnancy causes congenital disorders such as cleft palate and lip. Mothers who smoke produce less milk and babies have lower birth weight. Maternal smoking is associated with sudden infant death syndrome, which is the main cause of deaths between 1 month and 1 year of age. Exposure to ESD impairs lung efficiency and function at all ages. It increases both the frequency and severity of childhood asthma. Used Cigarette smoke exacerbates sinusitis, rhinitis (cold), cystic fibrosis, cough and postnasal drip problems. It also increases the frequency of colds and sore throats in children. In children under two years of age, ESD increases the likelihood of bronchitis and pneumonia. The risk of hospitalization due to respiratory disease for children of parents who smoke half a pack or more of cigarettes almost doubles.
The frequency of acute respiratory diseases increases in children whose mothers smoke. This effect is greatest in infancy. It has been determined that children whose mothers smoke have bronchitis and pneumonia more frequently in the first year of life (especially in the 6-9 month period). This effect increases with the number of cigarettes smoked. For every five cigarettes increased in the number of cigarettes smoked per day, the frequency of lower respiratory tract diseases increased by 2.5-3.5 units. In preschool children whose mothers smoke (within the first five years of life), pneumonia and bronchitis increase threefold, and acute nasopharyngitis and sinusitis increase 1.5 times, compared to non-smokers.
Hyperactivity of children of mothers who smoked during and after pregnancy compared to children of non-smokers. It is more likely to have behavioral disorders such as A moderate deterioration in school performance and intellectual achievement has been shown.
Secondhand smoke has been suggested to have a role in sudden infant death syndrome, regardless of birth weight and gestational age.
Passive smoking increases high-density lipoprotein HDL cholesterol in adolescents. It was found to be 6.8% less and the ratio of total cholesterol to HDL cholesterol increased by 8.9%. This explains the frequent occurrence of coronary artery disease in passive smokers.
Smoking begins in adolescence for psycho-social reasons and is a behavior that continues throughout life. Therefore, the adolescence age group is very important in preventing smoking. Smoking is first tried and the habit develops over 3-4 years. The frequency of smoking and the number of cigarettes smoked per day increases with age in young people. In studies conducted in our country, while the prevalence of smoking at the age of 12 is 2.8-5.2%, it increases to 24.1-26.9% in the 17-18 age group. It has been reported that drinking habits are 2.26 times higher in boys than in girls; It has been found that our young people's knowledge about the harms of smoking is insufficient. It has been shown that smoking of parents and family members, advertisements and peer influence play a role in young people starting to smoke.
Recommendations
When children come for examination for any reason, a smoking history should be taken from the parents and caregiver.
The harms of passive smoking to children should be explained to parents.
Doctors should not smoke.
Smoking should be prohibited in waiting rooms, cinemas, nurseries, teachers' rooms and other closed environments, and compliance with the ban should be checked.
Television and In addition to banning advertisements in communication tools such as newspapers. Attention should be paid to news that may encourage wannabe smokers.
The harms of not only smoking but also passive smoking to children should be explained to the public through mass media.
The effects of smoking should be discussed in health-related lessons in schools.
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