More Adult Smoking May Be Contributing to Rise in Childhood Asthma

From Channing Bete Healthy Communities e-Newsletter

Childhood Asthma and Smoking
More Adult Smoking May Be Contributing to Rise in Childhood Asthma

Childhood asthma has been on the rise in the past century, and researchers have discovered a potential contributing cause. "We have identified parallel increases in childhood asthma and cigarette use among adults during the past century in the United States," said study author Renee D. Goodwin, Ph.D., M.P.H., assistant professor in the Department of Epidemiology at the Mailman School of Public Health. "These parallel trends suggest that the increase in cigarette use may be a contributing factor to the rise in asthma among children during the same period through increased exposure to environmental tobacco smoke." Environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) is higher in some toxins than smoke inhaled directly from cigarettes by smokers, and because children breathe more air than adults and have narrower airways, they are more vulnerable than adults to ETS -- a risk factor for developing asthma and a trigger for worsening symptoms.

Read the full article at:http://www.mailmanschool.org/news/display.asp?id=546

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