1. Secondhand Smoking at Home in the US: Its Effects on ChildrenBy
Peter F. Edemekong (MPH Student)
Walden University
PUBH Environmental Health
Instructor: Dr. Patrick Tschida
Summer Quarter 2011
The stakeholders for this presentation includes:
Families
Schools
World Health Organization
Office of The Surgeon General
United States Food Administration
- United States Department of health and Human Services
- United States Food and Drug Administration
- National Occupational health and Safety Commission
United States Protection Agency

2. Objectives
To further educate parents about the necessity of providing children a safer environment free from exposure to secondhand smoke.
To enlighten adults who smoke about the health risk and effects of smoking on exposed children.
To readdress the need and importance of continued education about overall effects of smoking
To make our home a safe place and conducive for habitation.
Above objectives are meant to help us address the issue of secondhand smoking in the homes in the US.

3. What is Secondhand Smoke in its Broad Context:
Secondhand Smoke by definition is:
An involuntary exposure and consumption of the by-products of cigarette. It is the form of passive smoking that involves a combination of smoke given off by a burning tobacco product and that exhaled by a smoker otherwise referred to as sidestream and mainstream smoking.
Aim of this presentation:
To help bring to the awareness to adults and parents who are smokers about the side effects of Secondhand smoking on children at home.
Second smoking is an involuntary exposure and consumption of the by-products of cigarette. As described by the National cancer Institute (2011), it is the a form of a passive smoking that involves a combination of smoke given off by a burning tobacco product and that exhaled by a smoker otherwise referred to as sidestream and mainstream smoking. Here, we focus of the effects of secondhand smoking on children at homes is the Unites States. This comes in many forms such as exposures to smoke from cigarette, the most common form to date in the US, followed by pipes, cigars and other related tobacco products. Children are exposed to cigarette smoke primarily from the burning cigarette and the exposure to room air that contains nicotine and other chemicals emitted from tobacco. Such include cotinine, a by-product of nicotine as well as carbon dioxide as found in the blood, saliva and urine of non-smokers.
National cancer Institute , 2011

4. Forms of Secondhand Smoke
Secondhand Smoke comes in many forms such as;
exposure to smoke from cigarette, the most common form to date in the US.
Exposure to Secondhand Smoke Occurs through:
Pipes
Cigars
Other related tobacco products.
Most commonly seen forms of primary source of exposure include cigarettes, pipes and cigars. Children who are close to or stay near the proximity of such exposures double their risk of the after effect of smoking exposures. Smoking at homes in the US in particular poses increased risk of secondhand smoke effect on children’s health.
(Picture by A. Hermitt (Associated content, 2006) from
National Institute of Cancer , 2011

5. How are Children Exposed to Secondhand Smoke at Home?
In the US, Children are exposed to cigarette smoke primarily from
The burning cigarette.
The exposure to room air that contains nicotine and other chemicals emitted from tobacco.
By-Products of Secondhand Smoke includes:
Cotinine: a by-product of nicotine
Carbon dioxide
Combined together, we have become aware of the combined effects of secondhand smoking, by-products of which include above mentions chemical components made up of cotinine and carbon dioxide. Above by-products are found in the blood, saliva and urine of non-smokers.
(Picture from
National Institute of Cancer, 2011

6. Secondhand Smoke and the Numbers
The CDC (2011) shares that an estimated 88 million nonsmokers in the United States were exposed to secondhand smoke in 2007–2008 alone.
Of those numbers:
53.6% of young children (aged 3–11 years) were exposed to secondhand smoke in 2007–2008 alone.
18.2% of children (aged 3–11 years) lived with someone who smoked inside their home in 2007–2008.
Only 5.4% of adult nonsmokers in the United States lived with someone who smoked inside their home.
Above data shows that children are at an increasing risk of being exposed to secondhand smoke at homes. When compared to children, only about 5.4% adults live with someone who smokes. This data shows that children are in fact at increased risk of secondhand smoking.
CDC, 2011

7. Disparities in Secondhand Smoke Exposure: Children and Adults
55.9% of non-Hispanic blacks were exposed to secondhand smoke.
40.1% of non-Hispanic whites were exposed to secondhand smoke.
28.5% of Mexican Americans were exposed to secondhand smoke.
The cdc (2011) shares that although there seemed to have been an overall declines in cotinine levels in all racial and ethnic groups, cotinine levels have consistently been found to be higher in non-Hispanic black Americans than in non-Hispanic white Americans and Mexican Americans.
(Picture from
CDC, 2011

8. (Picture from http://www. gallup

9. Does Low Income play a part in Exposure to Secondhand Smoke?
Is there a link to Low Income?
It was found that secondhand smoke exposure tends to be high for persons with low incomes.
60.5% of persons living below the poverty level in the United States were exposed to secondhand smoke in 2007–2008 alone.
When considering the role of low income to the likelihood of being exposed to second smoke, one finds that about 60.5% of persons in the US living below poverty level are likely to be exposed to secondhand smoke. Such data is to some level statistically relevant.
CDC, 2011

10. Effects and Damages Done by Exposure to Secondhand Smoke
Tobacco consumption contributes to environmental pollution in many forms that result in adverse health conditions in children including;
Premature deaths of more than 14 million Americans dated back to 1964.
Health Effects of Secondhand Smoke includes
Increased risk of future lung cancer
Increased risk of coronary heart disease
Increased risk of chronic respiratory disease
Tobacco consumption contributes to environmental pollution in many forms that result in adverse health conditions. Gary Giovino (2007) shares that exposure to cigarette smoke pollution has contributed to premature deaths of more than 14 million Americans dated back to Here one notes that second hand smoking has been known to cause serious health effects. Some of the health effects that results from tobacco consumption includes lung cancer, coronary heart disease, chronic respiratory diseases, pregnancy complications, and respiratory diseases in both adults and children.
Gary Giovino, 2007

11. (Picture from http://www. healingtalks

12. Effects of Secondhand Smoke in Children
Ear infections
Frequent and severe asthma attacks
Respiratory symptoms (e.g. coughing, sneezing, shortness of breath)
Respiratory infections (bronchitis, pneumonia)
A greater risk for sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)
The cdc (2011) shares that one of the places with most exposure to secondhand smoke is our homes.
(Picture by Chris Sherwood, eHow Health;
CDC, 2011

13. Effects of Secondhand Smoke in Children 18months and Younger
Children who are aged 18 months or younger and exposed to secondhand smoke have
an estimated 150,000–300,000 new cases of bronchitis and pneumonia annually
approximately 7,500–15,000 hospitalizations annually in the United States.
Above data provides insight on the proportion of children exposed to secondhand smoking according to CDC, 2011.
CDC, 2011

14. Another Perspective of Symptoms & Health Effects: Risk of Respiratory Disease
Children Exposure to Secondhand Smoke Contributes to:
increased risk of sudden infant death syndrome
Ear infections
Colds
Pneumonia
Bronchitis
Severe asthma
Looking at the effects of secondhand smoking from a different perspective, it shows that such includes alarming health effects as shared by the National Institute of Cancer, 2011.
(Picture from
National Institute of Cancer, 2011

15. Secondhand Smoke & Low Birth Weight
Low Birth Weight: A dilemma?
Secondhand smoke exposure also increases the risk of a birth weight below 2,500g by 22 percent.
Could This Be Prevented?
Yes. Secondhand smoke is a known preventable cause of low birth weight
What if it is not Prevented?
Could results in infant mortality
Increased risk of health complications into adulthood.
Nonsmoking pregnant women who are exposed to secondhand smoke tend to give birth to infants with reduced mean birth weight of 33g or more.
(Picture from
ANR, 2009

16. Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)
How Did We Arrive Here?
Maternal smoking is the strongest risk factor that leads to SIDS.
Infants who die from SIDS tend to have higher concentrations of nicotine in their lungs.
Exposure to secondhand smoke increases the risk for SIDS
American SIDS Institute (2009) shares that although he rate of SIDS has fallen by over 50 percent since 1983, the United States still have about 2,500 deaths per year and thousands more throughout the world.
ANR, 2009
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2010

17. Secondhand Smoke and Asthma in Children
In 2009, about 9.6% children reported having asthma when compared to 7.7% adults
This diagnosis was higher in boys with an 11.3%.
African American children reported the highest incidence and prevalence of asthma at a 50% increase asthma rates was among African-American children, who had a 50% increase from 2001 to 2009
Bill Hendrick (2011) shares that a cdc study as of May 3 , 2011 shows an insane 24.6million Americans living with Asthma. This number shows a rise in the number of people living with asthma in the US as it grew by about 4.3 million between 2001 and 2009.
Bill Hendrick, 2011

18. Rate and cost of Asthma in US children
The highest rate of asthma in 2009 was among African-American children with a reported 17% diagnosed with asthma disease.
Annual costs of asthma treatment in the U.S. was $3,300 per person between 2002 and 2007.
According to CDC, about two in five uninsured and one in nine insured people with asthma could not afford their prescription medication.
Bill Hendrick (2011) shares that the 2011 cdc study show a rise in asthma attack and diagnosis. In total the cost of asthma treatment in the US among children and adult jumped from $53 billion in 2002 to about $ 56 billion in 2007, indicating about a 6% rise in the cost of treatment alone
Bill Hendrick, 2011

19. Other Effects of Secondhand Smoke on Children’s Lung
Exposure to Secondhand smoke contributes to:
Slow growth of children’s lungs
Causes idiopathic
Cough
Wheeze
Breathlessness
The National Institute of Cancer, 2011 shares with us the dreaded effects of secondhand smoking on children’s lung t one of the leading causes of premature and slow growth of children’s lungs.
(Picture from
National Institute of Cancer, 2011

20. Secondhand Smoke & Ear Infection
Beware:
The Surgeon General (2007) shares that children
exposed to secondhand smoke are at increased risk
for ear infections and are more likely to need an
operation to insert ear tubes for drainage.
The Surgeon General’s office (2007) share that second hand smoking increases the likelihood of ear infection in children in the US most of whom will end up with surgical operation on affected ear.
(Picture from
Surgeon General, 2007

21. Related symptoms of Ear Infection
Related symptoms of Ear infections and Operation include:
Fever
Headache
Aching pain in the ears
Fluid discharge from the ears
Decreased hearing problems in the future
Sleeping disturbance and difficulty staying asleep
Symptoms of ear infect could sometimes be widespread but always include fever, headache and pain in affected ear among other presenting signs.
(Picture from
Surgeon General, 2007

22. Increased risk of Cardiovascular System Disease
Increased risk of Coronary Heart Disease include:
An estimated 46,000 premature deaths from heart disease per year in the US among children and non-smokers
Increased risk of Immediate adverse Effect on blood Vessels
This increases the risk of developing heart attack in the future
Increased risk of developing heart attack is increased by 25-30%
There an increased risk of future cardiovascular disease in children who are exposed to secondhand smoking
CDC, 2011

23. How Can We Control Secondhand Smoke at out Homes?
Separating smokers from nonsmokers
Cleaning the air
Seek alternatives to smoking if you cannot quit
Nicotine patch
Electric cigarette
Nicotine replacement therapy
Take Note: Ventilating buildings does not eliminate secondhand smoke exposure.
Pictures from ( (
CDC, 2011

24. The Message!
In order to control, prevent and protect our children from being exposed to the effects of secondhand smoke at home, parents, adults and young adults who smoke will have to find a way to quit, eliminate and make conducive, the indoor environment so to help ensure that children are not exposed to or inhale any form of secondhand smoke.

25. I hope everyone learned
something unique about the Effects of Secondhand Smoke on Children at Homes in the US.

26. THE END
Thank you for your time! Questions & Answers!!

27. References
Americans for Nonsmokers’ Rights (2009). Health Effects of Secondhand Smoke on Children. Accessed on July 24, 2011 from American SIDS Institute (2009). Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. Accessed on August 06, 2011 from CDC (2011) Secondhand Smoke (SHS) Facts. Smoking and Tobacco Use. Accessed on July 24, 2011 from Giovino, G. A. (2007). The Tobacco Epidemic in the United States. American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Accessed on June 25, 2011 from

28. Hendrick, B. (2011). Asthma Rates on the Rise in US
Hendrick, B. (2011). Asthma Rates on the Rise in US. WebMD Asthma Health Center. Accessed on July 23, 2011 from National Cancer Institute (2011). Secondhand Smoke and Cancer. Accessed on July 21, 2011 from The Surgeon General (2007). The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke: A Report of the Surgeon General, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Accessed on July 24, 2011 from U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (2010). Health Effects of Exposure to Secondhand Smoke. Smoke-free Homes and cars Program. Accessed on July 24, 2011 from