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Studies are now showing that passive smoke may affect children in more ways than we realized before. Although we have long heard that smoking around our children is an unhealthy choice, new research is showing that passive smoking may truly be a detriment to children’s physical and mental well-being.

New research results were released early this week indicated that passive smoking maybe associated with invasive bacterial diseases. Chien-Chang Lee, from Boston’s Harvard School of Public Health, announced that children who are exposed to smoking have twice the risk of contracting meningococcal disease. Although results were small, there is also reason to believe that children raised in a smoking home may be at a higher risk for developing both invasive pneumococcal disease and haemophilus influenzae type B.

Not only does passive smoking hurt your child’s physical health, but may also harm them mentally. Studies
show that children who inhale smoke are more likely to have hyperactivity, “bad” behavior, and other mental problems. While more research needs to be conducted to discover the link between poor mental health and passive smoking, experts wonder if it could due to the effect of chemicals on the brain or genetics.

What should parents do to prevent their children from being harmed by second-hand smoking? The answer is simple: quit smoking! If you can’t find the motivation to give up your habit, then choose to smoke out of the house where children will not be breathing in the smoke.