Children of smokers cough more, says report

Press, 14 June 1984, Page 25

Children of smokers cough more, says report

NZPA-AP London Children whose parents smoke cigarettes are much more likely to cough frequently, indicating thev run a higher risk of lung'damage than other children, according to a British study. Writing in the “British Medical Journal," a cancer researcher, Dr Anne Charlton. said that a survey of more than 15,000 children showed a “significant link between parental smoking ... and self-reported frequent coughs in children who had never smoked.”

“The effects of frequent coughs in children present immediate as well as longterm problems, absence from school and possible lung damage being only two of them," Dr Charlton wrote.

"The long-term harm from passive smoking in childhood has not been fully assessed, but recent findings indicate that it may be farreaching."

Much research has been done in recent years on the possible dangers in the home of passive smoke —

that which non-smokers inhale while others smoke. Results have been conflicting. but several studies have suggested a link between passive smoke and a range of lung disorders including bronchitis, pneumonia, asthma, and cancer.

Dr Charlton, a biologist and research fellow at the Manchester Regional Committee for Cancer Education, sought to determine whether children of smoking parents were more prone to frequent coughs, which could be a sign of breathing problems. Questionnaires were sent to 65 schools in northern England in December, 1982, and filled out by 15,126 children aged eight to 19. The children were asked about their own smoking habits, whether either or both of their parents smoked, and whether they got “a lot of coughs.” the incidence of frequent coughing was especially pronounced among the youngest children, the study said.

Thirty-five per cent of the

boys under 11 who had never smoked and whose parents did not smoke reported frequent coughs. With one parent smoking this increased to 42 per cent, and when both parents smoke the proportion was 48 per cent.

Girls under 11 showed the same pattern, with 32 per cent, 40 per cent, and 50 per cent respectively reporting frequent coughs.

“These results are clear evidence of a definite link between smoking in the home and coughs in young children, which not only may present immediate problems but may also be a cause of illness in the future,” the article said. Dr Charlton conceded that “what is considered ’a lot of coughs’ may vary from one child to another." "Nevertheless, the term is probably a reasonably good measure because it expresses the child’s own feelings. If he or she coughs enough to be aware of it and considers it to be frequent, it is clearly a health problem.”