Smoking doesn’t just harm adults but their kids’ school attendance as well according to a new report by Dr. Douglas E. Levy and colleagues at Massachusetts General Hospital.

The effect of smoking on children’s habits was measured from 2005 records which found that 14 percent of households which had kids with one or two smokers, ended up with more days missed versus kids in non-smoking homes.

The extent of damage to a child’s health may be even greater, as the study only measures disease-related absences and might not represent the social impact smoking causes.

"When young children are home from school, parents may miss time at work or have to find alternative sources of child care. Such a burden will be especially acute for low-income parents" the study noted.

The research was published in the journal Pediatrics.

"Tobacco smoke exposure has significant consequences for children and families above and beyond child morbidity, including academic disadvantage and financial burden," the report said.

"The health impact of living with a smoker is probably more extensive than our study shows, since the survey only asked about three conditions associated with smoke exposure and we know there are several more," Levy said.

The resulting impact on a child's education is also not known.