KARACHI, Aug 20: Children born in families where smoking is common are not only encouraged to take up this habit, but are also exposed to health risks associated with it.

According to a report by the National Institute of Child Health (NICH), children who grow up with smokers in the family, not only face a bigger risk of developing asthma by the age of six, but they are also more likely to become smokers themselves before their 15th birthday.

Early exposure to smoke can speed up the decline in lung function normally associated with age, increasing the risk of heart and lung problems or even death.

The report found the number of children, who were diagnosed with asthma at age six or younger, twice high at a risk if a family member smoked compared to those raised in non-smoking families (6 per cent versus 3 per cent).

In addition, children in families that had one or more smokers were more likely to start smoking earlier in life and become heavy smokers.

The percentage of children who began smoking at age 15 or earlier was only 5 per cent among non-smoking families, but rose to 8 per cent with one smoker in the family, 12 per cent with three smokers, and 15 per cent with four or more smokers.

The report states that current smokers had a lower lung function at age 18 and had a faster rate of deterioration than non-smokers. The earlier a man started smoking, the worse his lung function was likely to be.

The decline in lung function began earlier and was more rapid in smokers and in those who had asthma. And the combined effect of smoking and asthma on lung function decline was greater together than alone.

Although the report was unable to show a direct link between family smoking and problems with lung function, “family smoking did appear to influence the child’s future behaviour that related to poorer lung function”.—PPI