Study
links kids' lower test scores to secondhand smoke
By Liz Szabo, USA TODAY
Children exposed to secondhand smoke have lower test scores
in reading, math and problem-solving, according to research
published today in the January issue of Environmental Health
Perspectives.
The findings confirm earlier studies showing that tobacco
exposure hurts children's intellectual development. This study
is even more persuasive because of its size and the fact that
researchers did not rely on parents to recall how much they
smoked, says Michael Shannon, chairman of American Academy
of Pediatrics' Committee on Environmental Health.
In the study of nearly 4,400 youngsters, researchers found
that kids subjected to the least amount of smoke scored an
average of 7 points higher in standardized math and reading
tests, compared with children exposed to high levels. Children
with the lowest exposure also fared better on two kinds of
widely used reasoning tests.
About 33 million children are at risk for reading problems
caused by "environmental tobacco," says Kimberly Yolton, study
author and a researcher at Cincinnati Children's Hospital
Medical Center.
She measured exposure to secondhand smoke by testing for cotinine,
a byproduct of nicotine in the blood. Secondhand smoke contains
200 poisons, including 69 that cause cancer, the American
Lung Association says.
Learning gaps were significant, researchers say, even after
they considered other factors, such as race, income and parents'
educational levels, that might have influenced test scores.
"Most smokers know that smoking is bad for them, but do they
really know that smoking is bad for their children?" Yolton
asks.
These findings give cities and states another reason to ban
tobacco in public places and for insurers to pay for programs
that help smokers quit, Shannon says.
Tobacco is about as harmful to children's brains as lead,
and fetuses exposed to tobacco in the womb are more likely
to be born small or suffer other problems, Shannon says.
