Smoking: Health Risk for Family Members

Topic Overview

The smoke from your cigarettes (secondhand smoke) puts your loved ones' health at risk.

  • Because of secondhand smoke, spouses and children of people who smoke have an increased risk of cancer and heart disease.
  • Babies whose parents smoke:
    • Are more likely to have ear infections, pneumonia, and bronchitis in the first few years of their lives.
    • Have a higher risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
  • Children of people who smoke are more likely to be smokers themselves.

When you quit smoking, you reduce all of these risk factors for health problems in your family. You also increase the chance that your children will not smoke or will quit if they already smoke.

Related Information

Credits

ByHealthwise Staff
Primary Medical ReviewerAdam Husney, MD - Family Medicine
Specialist Medical ReviewerJohn Hughes, MD - Psychiatry
Last RevisedJuly 6, 2011
By: Healthwise StaffLast Revised: July 6, 2011
Medical Review: Adam Husney, MD - Family Medicine
John Hughes, MD - Psychiatry

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