Smokers have lower test scores and more problem behaviors

It is widely known that smoking is harmful to the body, and the distribution of tobacco is distributed all over the world, such as Philip Morris, a major tobacco maker, demanding a ban on the sale of tobacco and a bill to ban the purchase of tobacco in New Zealand. There is a movement to ban it. Meanwhile, a research team at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology in Australia announced the results of a study stating that 'if parents are smokers, their children's academic ability and behavior will be affected.'

The effect of parental smoking on children's cognitive and non-cognitive skills --ScienceDirect
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ehb.2021.100978

Children whose parents smoke have lower test scores and more behavioral issues than kids of non-smokers
https://theconversation.com/children-whose-parents-smoke-have-lower-test-scores-and-more-behavioural-issues-than-kids-of-non-smokers-172601

The research team analyzed the relationship between children's cognitive abilities and parents' smoking status based on a database of Australian citizens' academic achievement test results and parental information. The results showed that the average cognitive ability of children whose parents or parents were smokers was 3% lower than that of children who had non-smoker parents. In addition, children with smoker parents had a 9% lower social behavior score than children with nonsmoker parents.

According to the research team, the decline in children's cognitive ability and social behavior score was more related to the smoking status of the mother than to the smoking status of the father. 'It is as expected that smoking by mothers will have a strong effect on their children, ' the research team said, citing past research results that 'smoking of pregnant mothers affects the development of the child's brain and birth weight.' increase.

In addition, the research team found that children with smoker parents had a low school enrollment rate and were often ill. These results were more common in boys than in girls, and the research team said, 'This result is consistent with previous studies that'girl's resilience to environmental pressure is stronger than boy'.' It states.

The research team considers three reasons why children with smoker parents have the above trends:

・ If the mother is a smoker, she is adversely affected by smoking before birth.
・ Savings for food, medical care and education necessary for the proper growth of children are used to purchase tobacco.
・ The development of the cognitive ability of the child depends on the cognitive ability of the parent, but the cognitive ability of the parent is lowered by smoking.

The research team also emphasized the importance of the family environment in early childhood. In addition, early childhood development is the basis of long-term health and social and economic success. Campaigns and policies aimed at reducing the use of children should emphasize 'the harm that smoking habits do to children.'