Homes and Cars Press Releases

Cure the Common Cold

CONTACT:
Paul McIntyre or
Anne Naughton
(916) 780-0226

It's that time again! With winter just around the corner, parents must prepare for the coughs, fevers and sniffles that are sure to plague their home.

Germs from dirty hands and grubby toys are, therefore, under constant watch by parents hoping to reduce their child's chances of getting sick. Yet while stocking up on Vitamin C, tissues and enforcing strict hand-washing rules is never a bad idea, perhaps the biggest threat to a child's health, secondhand smoke, goes essentially unnoticed.

Children who are repeatedly exposed to secondhand smoke suffer from four times higher rates of colds, earaches, bronchitis, pneumonia and other respiratory infections. They also suffer from limited lung development and capacity, a reduced ability to absorb essential nutrients like Vitamin C, and a greater chance of acquiring cancer later in life. Secondhand smoke exposure also causes increased rates of asthma, the leading cause of school absenteeism, with 18 million more days of restricted activity and 7 million more days of missed school each year nationwide.

Risks like these make secondhand smoke a far greater threat to a child's health than pesky germs. Yet researchers at the Cincinnati Children's Hospital found that 13 million children in the U.S. are exposed to secondhand smoke in the home - a fact that is incredibly disturbing, considering the health effects of secondhand smoke and the fact that people spend more time in their home than anywhere else.

Anne Naughton, Project Director with Kids Involuntarily Inhaling Secondhand Smoke (KIISS) says, "If you or someone in your family smokes, go outside - it's the best way to reduce your child's chances of getting a cold, or something worse."

Other ways to avoid the common cold are to make sure all toys and play areas are clean, and that children get enough sleep each night, drink plenty of fluids and have a healthy diet.

Altogether, it's a good formula for healthy living and a good plan to keep a child cold free.

KIISS was founded in April 2000 and is headquartered in Roseville, California. To obtain a KIISS Kit on keeping homes and cars smoke free, contact KIISS at 916-780-0226 or visit the web site at www.kiiss.org.