NHS educates toddlers to stop their parents from smoking

Essex, United States, January 24: Now it is the turn of kids to offer some advice to their parents about the hazards of smoking. In a first-of-its-kind move, anti-smoking advisors are visiting nurseries to educate toddlers on the ill-effects of smoking.

National Health Service (NHS) pamphlets and questionnaires are being handed over to children so that they can carry them back home for their parents. Also, children are being shown dolls in order to make them understand the difference between the lungs of a smoker and a non-smoker.

Till now, “pre-school smoking education sessions” have been delivered at the Kiddi Caru Nursery in Colchester and the Little Pals Neighbourhood Nursery in Clacton-on-Sea.

Colchester and Tendring NHS Stop Smoking Service in Essex think that this is a novel method to spread a valuable health message. They also believe that the whole process is being done “delicately and tactfully”.

But there are people who are not in the favour of this move as they believe that children might get frightened if they are made to worry about the health of their parents. Critics claim that it is not correct for the state to interfere in pre-school education.

“This is a sinister attempt by state officials to frighten small children into getting their parents to quit smoking,” said Douglas Carswell, the Conservation MP for Harwich and Clacton. He added that NHS needs to provide people with the requisite treatment and not try to intrude into the space between kids and their parents.

Douglas Carswell further explained, “I think it would be very frightening if you were a small child and a state officer visited your playgroup and frightened you into what could happen to mum or dad because of their smoking.”

Latest statistics reveal that there has been a drop in the smoking rates, with the figures standing at only 21 percent presently. But youngsters and the working classes are still in the clutch of smoking as the rates remain higher there.

Emma Ferdinand, Specialist Stop Smoking Advisor for Young People, was quoted as saying, “More than 40 per cent of children live in a household with at least one smoker and children of smokers are more than twice as likely to start smoking. Our aim is to target parents by providing leaflets via the children on the effects of passive smoking and, as importantly, providing information on how to access the Colchester and Tendring NHS Stop Smoking Service if any parents decide they want to stop smoking.”