Second-hand smoke tied to children's behavior problems

NEW YORK (bdnews24.com/Reuters) - Children exposed to secondhand smoke at home may be more likely to have learning and behavioral problems, according to a US study.

Of more than 55,000 US children younger than 12 years, 6 percent lived with a smoker -- and those children were more likely to have ADHD compared to children in smoke-free homes, the study, published in Pediatrics, found.

Even after accounting for a number of possible explanations, such as parents' income and education levels, secondhand smoke was still tied to a higher risk of behavioral problems, said Hillel Alpert at the Harvard School of Public Health, one of the researchers.

The findings don't prove a smoke-filled home is to blame, because there are other factors that the study didn't look at that may also be to blame -- but it may give parents yet another reason to keep their homes smoke-free.

Health experts already recommend that children be shielded from secondhand smoke for health reasons, since it can increase their risk of respiratory infections, severe asthma and sudden infant death syndrome.

"The key message for parents is to protect their children from exposure to secondhand smoke," Alpert told Reuters Health.

One other factor to consider is that children exposed to secondhand smoke often had intra-uterine exposure as well, which has been linked to increased risks of learning and behavioral problems.

It's also possible that parents who smoke have a greater history of learning or behavior problems themselves compared with non-smoking parents.

The results are based on a 2007 national survey of parents of 55,358 children younger than 12. The finding that 6 percent lived with a smoker translates into nearly 5 million U.S. children exposed to secondhand smoke at home, according to the research team.

About 20 percent of parents in smoking households said their child had at least one type of conduct disorder, versus less than 9 percent of parents in non-smoking homes.

When Alpert's team accounted for poverty, race, mothers' education levels and other factors, secondhand smoke was tied to a 51 percent increase in a child's risk of having one of the three disorders.

The researchers said that it's unclear exactly how secondhand smoke would contribute to learning and behavioral problems. Some research has speculated that the smoke may affect certain chemicals in children's developing brains.

A second study in Pediatrics suggested that children's reactions to their parents' secondhand smoke may also play some role in their own likelihood of taking up the habit.

Among 165 low-income preteens from smoking households, those who thought secondhand smoke was "unpleasant or gross" were 78 percent less likely than other children to be at a high risk of smoking.

Alpert said that whatever the reasons for the current findings, they underscore the need for children to be kept away from smoke.

"We still have 5 million children exposed to secondhand smoke at home," he said.

"A lot of progress has been made in reducing that number, but there's still a lot left to be done." SOURCES: bit.ly/okML5i, bit.ly/oV5bDJ

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Govt sincere in resolving enclave problems : PM

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina told the Jatiyo Sangsad (JS) Wednesday that her government is very much sincere in resolving enclave problems with neighbouring India, reports BSS.

The discussion with India is now at the final stage for uninterrupted movement of the people of Dahagram and Angorpota enclaves with mainland Bangladesh, and the problem would be solved very quickly," she said responding to a scripted query from treasury bench member Benzir Ahmed.

The Leader of the House said during her visit to India in January 2010, both the countries agreed to resolve all existing border disputes in the light of the 1974 Land Border Agreement (Mujib-Indira Agreement).

To further steer this process, she said, a detailed discussion was held on the issue at the fourth meeting of Bangladesh-India Joint Boundary Working Group (JBWG) in November 2010.

"To expedite the process of enclave exchange, maps including the list of the enclaves have already been swapped between the two countries, while joint census of Bangladeshi people at the enclaves is underway," she said.

The Prime Minister said her government remains active to raise civic facilities of the enclave people. "The work on supplying power to Dahagram-Angorpota enclaves has already started," she said.

The Leader of the House said though there is a commitment of India to lease out the Tin-bigha Corridor to Bangladesh, the agreement was not implemented, as India is yet to ratify the deal.

Despite that, she said, the agreement was followed up to resolve the Bangladesh-India frontier problems, and according to it, the corridor is opened for a specific time everyday.

The Prime Minister said significant progress has already been made to solve the maritime boundary dispute between Bangladesh and India by utilizing existing good relations and democratic environment.

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