As many as 2.5 million California children are exposed to secondhand smoke in their homes, even as rates of smoking continue to decline in the state, according to the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research.
About 560,000 youths live in a home where smoking is allowed and another 1.9 million live with family members who smoke, even if they don't light up in the house, according to the policy brief. Black children are more likely than other racial groups to be affected, and poor children and those living in rural areas are also disproportionately affected.
Researchers said the data can help public health officials more carefully target certain communities where children are still at high risk of exposure to secondhand smoke.
-- Anna Gorman
Photo: A new study says as many as 2.5 million California children are exposed to secondhand smoke in their homes. Credit: Jeff Haynes / AFP / Getty Images
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