Smoking ban 'reduced annual rate of child respiratory problems by 11,000'

http://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/may/29/smoking-ban-children-reduce-rate-respiratory-problems

Version 0 of 1.

Banning smoking in public places in England helped cut the number of children being admitted to hospital with respiratory infections by about 11,000 a year, researchers have said. The introduction of smoke-free legislation in 2007 was followed by an immediate 3.5% drop in admissions among under-15s. The biggest fall, of nearly 14%, was among those suffering chest infections, while there were smaller effects among admissions for nose, throat and sinus infections.

The researchers from Edinburgh, London, the Netherlands and the US estimated that the fall in admissions was saving the health service about £17m a year. Their work was published as the government’s Health and Social Care Information Centre prepared on Friday to release new figures on hospital admissions and deaths from diseases attributable to smoking.

The findings from the study, published in the European Respiratory Journal, confirmed the impact of anti-smoking laws on children’s health, said its authors. They also suggested it was greatest on children from the most deprived families.

At present less than a sixth of the global population is protected, and two in five children are regularly exposed to second-hand smoke, the researchers said.

The team analysed more than 1.6m cases of under-15s being admitted to hospital with respiratory infections in England between 2001 and 2012, a period straddling the smoking ban. It estimated that almost 55,000 hospital admissions were averted because of it.

Lead author Jasper Been, from Edinburgh University, said: “Our results add to the growing body of evidence demonstrating the benefits of smoke-free legislation. Although our results cannot definitively establish a cause and effect, the rigorous analysis clearly shows that the introduction of smoke-free legislation was associated with significant reductions in hospital admissions among children.”

Aziz Sheikh, co-director of the university’s centre for population health sciences, said: “When you look at the results of this study alongside national data showing a decrease in smoking within the home, the findings greatly strengthen the recommendations for the global implementation of legislation prohibiting smoking in public places. We urge other nations to consider introducing and enforcing smoke-free legislation in order to protect the health of children – the most vulnerable members of society.”

The British Lung Foundation welcomed the study, saying children were particularly vulnerable to second-hand smoke as their lungs were smaller and still developing. Nick Hopkinson, its honorary medical adviser, said: “We now look forward to the implementation in October of the ban on smoking in cars carrying children. Every child protected from exposure to second-hand smoke is a victory, and this law will be a significant further milestone for public health.”

No similar study has been made on the impact of smoke-free laws on adult hospital admissions caused by respiratory infections in England, said the researchers. Papers on the effects in other countries, including one that looked also at cardiovascular disease, suggested a greater impact on adults. That might be partly explained by their spending more time in public places, said the researchers.

The new study on children also did not include admissions for asthma. The condition’s inclusion may have “contaminated” some adult studies, they suggested.