Health Watch is a Public Service of the Office of News and Publications and is intended to provide general information only and should not replace the advice of a medical professional. You should contact your physician if you have questions about any of these topics.
Babies are one of the most vulnerable groups when it comes to health. They're entirely dependent on the adults who care for them, and they can't tell us what's wrong when they don't feel well. This week on Healthwatch we'll be talking about some health issues that affect infants and very young children.
If you're the parent of an infant, doctors at UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas say there's one thing you can do now to help your child have a lifetime of better health: quit smoking if you're a smoker and never start if you're not. Children whose parents are both smokers are most likely to start smoking, while only 14 percent of high school seniors who grow up in non-smoking households were smokers themselves.
Dr. Adi Gazdar, a UT Southwestern lung cancer expert, says tobacco companies target teens because if they start smoking young, they become lifetime customers.
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September 2005
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