Tobacco smoking identified as major cause of stunted growth in children, says WHO
WHO warns that tobacco smoking is a major factor in child stunting, affecting 150 million children globally. Maternal and parental smoking increases risks of low birth weight, delayed growth, and long-term health issues. Read on to know more.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) said that tobacco plays a significant role in child stunting, which is a condition that affects nearly 150 million children across the globe. The recently published document highlights how tobacco use increases the risk of disease, delayed development, and even death.
WHO calls on governments to strengthen tobacco control policies and protect children’s health by reducing their exposure to tobacco smoke, especially while in the womb. Dr Etienne Krug, Director of the Department of Health Determinants, Promotion and Prevention at WHO said, “Stunting robs children of their right to grow, learn and thrive. Children with parents who smoke face a higher risk of stunting.”
How Parental and Maternal Smoking Impacts Child Growth
The report said that children whose parents smoke face a higher risk of stunted growth, with risks increasing the more they are exposed. Also, maternal smoking during pregnancy is strongly linked to preterm birth, low birth weight, and restricted foetal growth, all of which are predictors of stunting by age two. Heavy smoking during pregnancy harms the baby, with stronger effects the more the mother smokes. The harm can persist well beyond infancy.
What is Child Stunting
WHO describes child stunting as the impaired growth and development that children experience from poor nutrition, repeated infection, and inadequate psychosocial stimulation. “Children are defined as stunted if their height-for-age is more than two standard deviations below the WHO Child Growth Standards median.”
Long-Term Consequences of Stunting
Consequences of child stunting include poor cognition and educational performance, low adult wages, lost productivity, and, when accompanied by excessive weight gain later in childhood, an increased risk of nutrition-related chronic diseases in adult life.
The WHO report states that tobacco smoke contains thousands of toxic chemicals that harm foetal and child development. Exposure during pregnancy contributes to growth restriction, congenital anomalies, and later chronic diseases. Second-hand smoke exposure after birth worsens respiratory infections and developmental problems, further increasing the risk of stunting.
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