Second-Hand Smoke Linked to Children's Behavior Problems

A study released by the University of Pennsylvania School of Nuring this week has found a link that active maternal smoking during pregnancy has negative effects on child health, such as attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). However, new research suggests that second hand smoke, or environmental tobacco smoke (ETS), may be just as harmful.

The data from 646 mother-child pairs in China, where more than 70 percent of men smoke, and concluded that 25% children of whose mothers were exposed to smoke exhibited behavior problems compared to 16% of children of unexposed mothers.

The study suggests that additional study is needed to validate the findings, the researchers agree that this study gives some clarity to the relationship between ETS and behavioral disturbance in children.

Source: Second-Hand Smoke Linked to Children's Behavior Problems