Children exposed to second-hand marijuana smoke can get viral respiratory infections

Children whose parents regularly smoke or vape marijuana may suffer from viral respiratory infections, such as the common cold, more frequently than those whose parents do not smoke, according to a study published in the journal. Pediatric research.

Researchers at the Wake Forest School of Medicine and Children’s Hospital in Colorado, United States, interviewed 1,491 parents and caregivers who lived in Colorado, a U.S. state where the recreational and medicinal use of marijuana is legal. Researchers found that parents who regularly smoked or vape marijuana reported that their children had suffered more viral respiratory infections in the year before the survey, compared to children whose parents did not smoke marijuana. tobacco or marijuana. Parents who smoked or vape marijuana reported that their children did not experience other problems often associated with exposure to second-hand tobacco smoke, such as ear infections and asthma attacks, more frequently nor that they had visited a hospital emergency room more often in the past year. , compared to children whose parents did not smoke.

The negative impact that exposure to second-hand tobacco smoke can have on children’s health has been widely studied, but the impact of second-hand marijuana smoke on young children is unclear. Our results identify the potential for increased respiratory infections in children exposed to second-hand marijuana smoke. This could have significant implications for healthcare as more states in the US move towards legalizing the recreational use of marijuana. “

Adam Johnson, Corresponding Author

Of the parents and guardians who participated in the survey, 78 (5.2%) reported regularly smoking or vaping only marijuana, 214 (14.3%) reported regularly smoking only tobacco, and 80 (5 , 4%) reported regularly smoking both marijuana and tobacco. Researchers found that those who only smoked marijuana tended to be younger, higher educated, less likely to identify as Hispanic, and had higher incomes than those who did not or smoked only marijuana. tobacco. Parents and caregivers who smoked both marijuana and tobacco tended to be younger and were less likely to identify as Hispanic than non-smokers. They also had lower income and education levels than non-smokers, compared to those who smoked only marijuana and those who smoked only tobacco.

Adam Johnson said: “Our results highlight the prevalence of marijuana use among parents and caregivers and indicate which children may be more likely to be exposed to second-hand marijuana smoke in a US state where the use of marijuana. recreational and medicinal marijuana is legal.These findings could be used to help target and shape public health messages for parents and caregivers to raise awareness of the potential negative impacts that exposure to secondhand smoke. marijuana can affect the health of children.

To examine the impact of exposure to second-hand marijuana smoke on children, the authors interviewed parents and caregivers who all attended the pediatric emergency department at Children’s Hospital Colorado with a child under the age of 12. , between 2015 and 2017. Parents and caregivers reported how often and where they used marijuana or tobacco, and how often in the past year their child was taken to an emergency department or was been affected by asthma attacks, ear infections, or viral respiratory infections, such as a cold or bronchiolitis.

The authors caution that the observational nature of the study does not allow conclusions to be drawn about a causal relationship between exposure to second-hand marijuana smoke and the frequency of viral respiratory infections. Additionally, because the authors interviewed a small number of parents and caregivers in a US state where marijuana use is legal, their findings may not be generalizable to all children living in areas where marijuana use is legal. or those living in areas where the use of marijuana is illegal. . Future research could assess the impact that parents ‘and caregivers’ use of other types of marijuana products, such as those taken by mouth or applied to the skin, may have on children.