Fathers Who Know Best Don’t Smoke
June 17, 2011
On Fathers' Day, encourage fathers to lead by example.
Help a Dad quit smoking, or eliminate a family's exposure to deadly secondhand smoke by making the house, the car and other places where the kids gather smoke-free.
Nearly one in four men in the United States smoke cigarettes, and more than 269,000 men die every year from smoking in the U.S. Many Dads know that secondhand smoke harms their children and everyone around them, and they take steps to keep them from this exposure. Still, more than half of kids between 3 and 11 are exposed to secondhand smoke.
The Surgeon General has concluded that there is no risk-free level of exposure to secondhand smoke and that children are particularly vulnerable. Studies show that exposure to secondhand smoke increases kids' risk of respiratory infections and even common ear infections. Kids with asthma who are exposed to secondhand smoke are likely to experience more frequent and more severe attacks.
So honor Dad on Fathers’ Day — by making sure the only thing he lights up is the grill.