Feeling frustrated because your school-age youngster didn’t make it to the toilet in time—again? As you launder that pile of wet pants, ponder this: If you or someone else in the household smokes, those cigarettes could be to blame for your child’s poor bladder control, recent research suggests.

The study included 45 children ages four to 17 with irritative bladder storage symptoms, such as urinary urgency, increased urinary frequency and incontinence. Questionnaires determined which kids were regularly exposed to secondhand smoke (also called environmental smoke) at home and/or while riding in cars. Findings…

  • Among study participants, 28% were regularly subjected to secondhand smoke—a rate that was nearly double the statewide average for such exposure.
  • Among youngsters with moderate-to-severe bladder symptoms, 23% had mothers who smoked and 50% were regularly exposed to smoke in cars. In contrast, none of the youngsters whose symptoms were mild or very mild had moms who smoked or rode in cars with people who were smoking.
  • The more environmental smoke the children were exposed to, the worse their symptoms tended to be, particularly among kids ages four to 10.

This small study doesn’t prove that secondhand smoke makes kids wet their pants, but it certainly should provide yet one more incentive for parents to quit smoking. Reality check: According to the Environmental Protection Agency, parental smoking accounts for 90% of children’s exposure to environmental smoke…and such exposure is known to increase youngsters’ risk for asthma, pneumonia, bronchitis, middle-ear infections and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).

For help kicking the habit: Call the toll-free quit line 800-QUIT-NOW (800-784-8669), a federal/state partnership…and visit the interactive Web sites www.SmokeFree.gov and www.Women.SmokeFree.gov from the National Cancer Institute.