It is a known fact that parents who smoke create a very dangerous environment for their children. Recently, a large amount of evidence was released by several dutch scientists which has further buttressed this knowledge. It showed that parents smoking is majorly responsible for causing vascular damage in young children.

About five years ago, scientists in Holland began collecting data on the smoking habits of the parents of 259 children from the age of four weeks. They studied the cardiovascular health of these children until the age of five, measuring the carotid artery intima-media thickness (CIMT) and the arterial wall distensibility, using ultrasonography to take measurements. They where looking for stiffening and abnormal thickness in the artery which can lead to cardiovascular diseases.

The results of this research was published in the journal Pediatrics. It showed that there is a direct relationship between children whose mothers were actively smoking during pregnancy and arterial damage. On average, the infants had carotid arteries with 15% more stiffness, as well as arterial thickening of 19 microns (which is about the thickness of a cassette tape) compared with those whose mothers did not smoke. In cases where both parents where actively smoking during pregnancy, the stiffness rose to 21% and thickening stood at 28 microns.

Associate Professor of clinical epidemiology at the Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care at the University Medical Center Utrecht, Netherlands said that “with our findings, we think that smoking in pregnancy does play an independent role, although we know that exposure of children to secondhand smoke is damaging in many areas.”

The research could not establish any effect caused by fathers who where actively smoking during pregnancy or for mothers that began smoking after giving birth, thereby indicating that the most harm is done by actively smoking pregnant mothers.

Susanne Tanski and Karen Wilson, authors and paediatricians from Darthmouth College and University of Rochester respectively, stated : “there is no known safe level of exposure.” In conclusion to this this research they wrote that the study “Provides one more piece of evidence for the importance of smoking cessation, in particular, among families with young children and those planning to have children.”

Another research study showed that women who were actively smoking during pregnacy increased the risk of pregnancy complications, premature delivery, low weight infants, still births and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). It may cause constrictions in the blood vessels of the umbilical cord and also reduced the amount of blood in the fetal cardiovascular system.

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Scotland, a nation known for its feats of strength, is gradually sliding in a self-created tomb of poor health. High alcohol consumption, obesity, lack of adequate exercise, and eating junk food is leading to atrocious levels of illness in Scotland. The chief medical officer of Scotland, Dr. Burns, has warned in his annual report that poor diet, obesity, physical inactivity, and high alcohol consumption is leading to increased health problems in Scotland.

He pointed to figures reported in the Scottish Health Survey which indicated that 27 percent of men and 18 percent of women exceeded the recommended weekly amount of alcohol consumption. Smoking among adults is decreasing, but 25 percent of adults still smoke cigarettes, and 63.3 percent of adults are either overweight or obese. Only 22 percent of adults met the recommended daily intake of fruit and vegetables a day, and only 39 percent of adults met the recommended levels of physical activity.

Despite a reported reduction in consumption of alcohol from 28 percent in 1995 to 22 percent in 2010, the level of those who exceed the daily amount of alcohol consumption has risen among men from 43 percent to 45 percent, and for women, it fell from 37 percent to 33 percent. He also noted that the data on alcohol consumption is conflicting, i.e comparing purchase data and consumption data.

However, alcohol purchase data indicates that consumption is on the increase. New hospital admissions due to alcohol-related conditions for people under 75 has increased by 18 percent in the last decade. Alcohol-related deaths for those aged 45-74 was also reported to be nine times more in deprived areas than in affluent areas.

On a positive note, the mortality rates due to Scotland’s big three killers: cancer, coronary heart disease (CHD), and stroke for people under 75 have continued to decline. Premature death rates due to cancer, CHD, and stroke have been reduced by 22 percent, 60 percent, and 54 percent respectively .

Premature mortality rates due to all other cases for those under 75 have been reduced by 28 percent ( from 507 per 100,000 in 1995 to 365 per 100,000 in 2009). Increased survival rates from cancer have been influenced by effective treatment, early diagnosis, and more people have been cured of cancer. Five year survival from cancer over the last two decades rose from 26 percent to 44 percent for men and from 36 percent to 51 percent for women.

Less affluent areas were shown to display more of these risky behaviors. Mental health problems are also becoming worse in deprived areas and among the working class. The lower display of risky behavior among the affluent is largely due to available information from health promotion campaigns which has, for some reason, remained largely ignored in the other sections of the society. Dr. Burns warned, “Scotland continues to have a higher level of ill health than most of our immediate neighbors in Europe.”

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