Passive smoking may up snoring risk in kids
New York, July 8 : Parents who smoke at home exposing their children to passive tobacco inhalation may increase the risk of developing habitual snoring in kids, according to a study.
The findings showed that children are at a two per cent higher risk of snoring for every cigarette smoke in home daily.
Children born to fathers who smoke were at a 45 per cent higher risk of snoring than unexposed children. While mothers who smoke increase the risk of developing habitual snoring in their kids by nearly 90 per cent.
Those exposed to prenatal smoke were almost twice as likely to develop habitual snoring.
"Some parents may think snoring in kids is benign or even cute. But snoring is often the first step towards developing sleep apnoea and has been linked to high blood pressure, stroke and heart disease," Lucy Popova, a researcher at Georgia State University was quoted as saying to the Daily Mail.
Sleep apnoea is a serious disorder characterized by regular pausing in breathing while sleeping.
Published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, the study examined data from 24 existing studies that included nearly 88,000 children.
The team found that the younger a child is, the more susceptible he or she is to developing the habit of snoring.
"Quitting tobacco use entirely is the best way to preserve your own health and the health of your children," said Sophie Balk from Children's Hospital at Montefiore in New York, US.
However the study was not able to show how smoking was associated with higher risk of developing habitual snoring among children.
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AIITA welcomes Karnataka’s ban on obscene songs in school events
Bhatkal: The Karnataka unit of the All India Ideal Teachers Association (AIITA) has welcomed the Karnataka government’s decision to strictly ban school children from dancing to obscene songs during educational and cultural programmes in government, aided, and private schools across the state.
AIITA Karnataka State President M. R. Manvi congratulated the government for taking what he termed an important step to preserve the sanctity of education.
“Such decisions to safeguard the dignity of school children and uphold the values of education are the need of the hour. This rule should not be limited to government schools alone but must be strictly implemented in all private educational institutions as well,” he said.
He further urged the government to address other concerns within school programmes.
“The government should not only prohibit obscene dances in the name of school anniversaries, but also ensure that plays and dialogues that incite religious hatred are avoided. Schools should be centres of harmony, not platforms for spreading hatred,” he added.
According to a recent circular issued by the Department of School Education and Literacy, obscene dances are adversely affecting the mental health and moral values of students.
In this regard, schools have been advised to use songs that promote nationalism, positive thinking, the greatness of Kannada culture, and value-based traditions instead of inappropriate content during programmes.
The circular also emphasises that students should be dressed in decent attire.
AIITA also backed the department’s warning that disciplinary action would be taken against head teachers if such guidelines are violated. The association has further demanded that district Deputy Directors of Public Instruction strictly monitor the implementation of these rules.
