A cigarette smoker (Photo : Reuters/Larry Downing)
A new study from Spain has found that kids who are exposed to tobacco smoke at home are three times more likely to suffer from attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD) compared to unexposed little ones, Reuters reported.
Researchers from the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine examined data from Spanish National Health Interview Survey 2011-2012 in which parents of about 2,357 youngsters aged between four and 12 years reported the amount of time their kids were exposed to tobacco smoke each day.
The parents filled out questionnaires that were designed to assess the mental health of their children. The results showed that about 8 percent of children had experienced a mental disorder. About 4.5 percent of children were exposed to tobacco smoke for an hour or more every day. About 7 percent of children were exposed for less than one hour every day.
After taking the socioeconomic status, family structure and mental health of parents into account, scientists found that kids who had secondhand smoke exposure for less than 60 minutes each day were 50 percent more likely to suffer from a mental disorder compared to children who were not exposed to secondhand smoke at all.
Furthermore, kids who were habitually exposed to tobacco smoke for an hour or more every day were three times more likely to suffer from a mental disorder. Children exposed to tobacco smoke for less than 60 minutes each day were twice as likely to suffer from ADHD as children who were not exposed to secondhand smoke. Also, youngsters exposed to tobacco smoke for an hour or more daily were over three times more likely to suffer from ADHD.
However, Frank Bandiera of the University of Texas Health Science Center said that the study might be limited because physicians did not diagnosed the mental disorders. He further said that parents should not smoke around their children because secondhand smoke has been linked to a number of diseases.
Moreover, a study published in the journal Circulation found that kids who are exposed to tobacco smoke are at an increased risk of getting heart diseases once they become adults.
