Cigarette Smoking and the Effects on Children

Today, children are at great health risk and dangersuffered by babies whose mothers are smokers.
from cigarette and tobacco smoke aside from theLikewise, babies win smoking mothers are at greater
young teenagers and adults who are active as well asrisk of suffering from learning disabilities and cerebral
passive smokers. Children belong to a high risk grouppalsy.
as they get exposed to passive smoke, environmentalIn the case of young children, one cigarette smoking
tobacco smoke (ETS) or better known as the secondeffect on children is the development of the condition
hand smoke. Cigarette smoking effect on children isof respiratory difficulties and illnesses such as asthma.
very dangerous because at a very young age, theyIf children are already asthmatic, it can get worse by
are still in the developing age and also their breathingsecond hand smoke. Second hand smoke is one of
rate is faster than the adults.the leading causes of new asthma cases and other
Children's breathing rate is much faster than the adults.respiratory complications every year. Another very
An adolescent or young adult breathes around 16serious cigarettes smoking effect on children is the
times in a minute while a child breathes way more thandevelopment of pneumonia or pulmonary bronchitis. In
this rate. A normal 5 year old can breath more than 20the United States alone, many pneumonia sufferers
times a minute which can sometimes increase to 60caused by cigarette smoking are children.
times every minute. As the breathing of children isOther cigarette smoking effects of smoking on children
more, the cigarette smoking effect on childrenare as follows:
becomes more intense as they take in more air that isChildren have increased water or fluid in the middle ear,
filled with cigarette smoke. Because of this, thedeveloping in a hearing and even speech problems.
children's lungs will receive a higher percentage ofChildren's lungs function less efficiently. Likewise, their
toxins and poisons than that of the young adults.immune system becomes less strong and protective
The different cigarette smoking effects on the childrenthan that of young adults.
and there children are numerous. In detrimental effectAnother cigarette smoking effect on children is the
is that babies who are born to mothers who smokeinability of the child's body to develop fully; his height
during her pregnancy are much more prone to be bornand weight development is adversely affected. The
below the normal weight than those who are born tochild exposed to cigarette smoking has a great
mothers who do not smoke. Cigarette smokingtendency to not fully achieve his over-all physical and
significantly affects a baby's weight because ofintellectual development. Babies whose mothers
developing a less resistant body. Another cigarettesmoke during their pregnancy are born with a
smoking effect on children is high percentage ofdeficiency in height and weight.
occurrence of sudden infant death syndrome to be