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Review
. 2024 Oct 28;16(10):e72548.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.72548. eCollection 2024 Oct.

Protecting Young Lives: A Systematic Review of the Impact of Secondhand Smoke Exposure and Legislative Measures on Children's Health

Simret M Asfaw  1 , Sai M Vijayawada  2 , Yasmin Sharifian  3 , Faiza Choudhry  4 , Pallak Khattar  5 , Paolo C Cavalie  6 , Iana Malasevskaia  7   8
Affiliations
Review

Protecting Young Lives: A Systematic Review of the Impact of Secondhand Smoke Exposure and Legislative Measures on Children's Health

Simret M Asfaw et al. Cureus. .

Abstract

Each year, a substantial number of global deaths are attributed to secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure, with children representing a significant proportion of these fatalities. This systematic review evaluates the effects of passive smoking, or SHS, on children's health outcomes, focusing on respiratory conditions, behavioral issues, cognitive impairment, growth retardation, and immune system effects. A comprehensive literature search was conducted from July 5 to July 18, 2024, across multiple databases according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) 2020 guidelines. Following the set inclusion and exclusion guidelines, 12 studies were chosen for the review, and their quality was measured using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. The findings indicate a strong association between SHS exposure and adverse health outcomes in children, including increased rates of asthma, low birth weight, and behavioral problems. Additionally, smoke-free legislation appears to mitigate some of these harmful effects, though results vary across different regions and populations. The review underscores the urgent need for effective smoking cessation strategies and improved healthcare communication to protect children from the dangers of passive smoking.

Keywords: behavioral issues; children's health; passive smoking; respiratory conditions; secondhand smoke; smoke-free legislation.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of interest: In compliance with the ICMJE uniform disclosure form, all authors declare the following: Payment/services info: All authors have declared that no financial support was received from any organization for the submitted work. Financial relationships: All authors have declared that they have no financial relationships at present or within the previous three years with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work. Other relationships: All authors have declared that there are no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. PRISMA flow diagram
PRISMA: Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses; CENTRAL: Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials; Europe PMC: Europe PubMed Central; EBSCO Open Dissertations: Elton B. Stephens Company Open Dissertations; MEDLINE: Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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