Tobacco is one of the world’s biggest killers. It’s estimated that 1.1 billion people around the world smoke and each year, more than 7 million people die from smoking–most of them in low- and middle-income countries. What many people don’t realize is that secondhand smoke can be just as much of a killer as smoking itself: around 1.2 million people die each year just from breathing in other people’s cigarette smoke.
To make things worse, children are just as affected by secondhand smoke as adults, if not more. At least 500 million children worldwide are exposed to secondhand smoke at home, according to the CDC. And shockingly, almost half of all children breathe air contaminated with tobacco smoke in public, which can lead to decreased respiratory function and other lung problems. 65,000 children die each year from secondhand smoke-related illnesses.
Parents who smoke around their kids can take a few steps to protect their children:
- Do not smoke at home.
- Never smoke in your car, even if the windows are down.
- Make sure that your children are not being exposed to secondhand smoke at school.
- When out with your kids, don’t light up a cigarette around them, at any time, for any reason.
Many parents aren’t aware of the dangers of secondhand smoke. Thankfully, a number of different organizations around the world are working to combat tobacco use and protect children from the harmful effects of secondhand smoke.
In 2016, the CDC joined the American Academy of Pediatrics to assist in reducing tobacco use around the world by implementing new regulations and funding anti-tobacco programs. From the years 2016 to 2018, 8 countries (Ethiopia, Indonesia, Kenya, the Philippines, Romania, Sri Lanka, and Uganda) had already joined the initiative.
One program in particular had a successful outcome. The CDC enlisted the help of the Philippines Pediatric Society to form a group with the goal of reducing secondhand smoke exposure. The group hosted a tobacco control workshop, which informed local figures on the dangers of tobacco use and smoking around children. They also met with the Philippines Department of Education and the Ministry of Health to review tobacco control guidelines and reach out to other organizations with similar goals.
In addition, the Philippines Pediatric Society launched an awareness campaign, titled Pinoy Kids for Smoke-Free Philippines. The campaign made its way to more than 100 schools and educated over 6,300 students on the harmful effects of tobacco use and secondhand smoke.
This campaign and the programs implemented by the CDC in partnership with anti-tobacco groups are just some examples of what global organizations are doing to fight tobacco use and protect children from secondhand smoke. If parents around the world become more informed about what cigarette smoke does to their kids and careless smokers are educated on the dangers of smoking around children, we can save many lives.
Written by Natan Rosenfeld
