Baby Talk January 2019

Bright Kids
Feature
Cigarette smoke
is known to
contain around
4,000 chemicals,
a number of which are
known cancer causers,
and is related to a range of
illnesses such as asthma,
chronic obstructive
pulmonary disease,
cancer, and heart disease.
Although it can be quite
challenging to try and keep children away from secondhand
smoke produced by smokers, it is the responsibility of parents
to do whatever they can for their children’s sake. Here are
some pointers.
If you haven’t quit the habit yet...
Smoking is a challenging addiction to give up but if you’re
serious about taking charge of your health, there are
resources available, which can help guide you through the
process. Since January 2007, the Ministry of Health Malaysia
has provided a hotline service to aid smokers in giving
up their habit. This hotline is known as Infoline Berhenti
Merokok at 03-88834400. It operates daily during working
hours. Infoline Berhenti Merokok is hosted by the Health
Education Division of the Ministry of Health Malaysia. Services
provided: Advice on quit smoking; Tips to quit smoking; and
Quit Smoking Clinic. Operating Hours: 8.00 a.m. - 5.00 p.m.
Mondays to Fridays (working days only).
Fact
No amount of secondhand smoke is
considered safe to inhale, especially for
children!
Help other family members quit too
If there are any other smokers who spend a lot of time
around your children, try to help them stop smoking too.
Although quitting a habit such as smoking is a personal
choice, you may be able to persuade them to quit, especially
if they already know the dangers of smoking to their own
health and to others.
Try explaining to them about the harmful carcinogens that
your children are being exposed to by their habit. This may
take a bit of tact, but it has to be done for the good of your
family. Don’t forget to emphasise on the personal benefits
they will enjoy as a result of quitting too. Lastly, offer as much
emotional support as possible to help them quit the habit.
Encouraging fact
20 minutes after your last cigarette, your heart
rate and blood pressure decrease. One year after
quitting, your risk of contracting coronary heart
disease is cut in half. Ten years after quitting, the
risk of dying from lung cancer is 50% lower than
that of a continuing smoker.
Make your home a smoke-free zone
Your home is where your family lives
in so you have every right to forbid
smoking in your house, especially if
you’re serious about your children’s
health. As troublesome or sensitive
as it can get, you will have to start
somewhere. One way is to make
a polite, casual announcement in
Facebook, for example, that you wish
to take the wellbeing of your family
seriously and request that family
members and friends who visit your
home from now on refrain from
lighting up inside the house.
Be aware of outside
exposure
NO
SMOKING
You may be able to control the situation in your own home,
but it’s not quite possible to do the same when you bring
your child to public places. Nevertheless, it’s still just as
important to try and limit their exposure to secondhand
smoke as much as possible.
Firstly, identify the places that do not ban smoking in their
premises and as long as you can help it, avoid frequenting
those places with your child. After all, there are plenty of
other places, such as certain restaurants, playgrounds, parks,
etc, that operate on a no- smoking policy.
Avoid theaters, entertainment venues, and anywhere that
smokers are likely to feel comfortable lighting up. If you
happen to be in a restaurant which allows smoking, keep
your children away from the tables of smokers.
BabyTalk | January 2019 35