Child asthma hospital admissions fell after smoking ban, study shows: Admissions fell by 12.3% in first year and more than 3% in each of the next two years, according to analysis of NHS figures
The number of children admitted to hospital after serious asthma attacks has fallen steeply in England since smoking was banned in public places such as bars, restaurants and offices.
Hospitals recorded 6,802 fewer cases of childhood asthma in the first three years of the ban, which was introduced in England in July 2007, according to NHS figures.
Researchers said the fall came as more people imposed smoke-free homes in the wake of the legislation.
Before the change in law, hospital admissions for the condition were rising 2.2% year on year. In the first year after the ban admissions fell by 12.3%, and there were further falls of more than 3% in each of the following two years.
A previous study showed a similar fall in Scotland where the ban was brought in a year earlier.
The findings allay concerns voiced before the change in the law that a wide-ranging ban in public places might drive up smoking in the home, where children are vulnerable to secondhand smoke.
The fumes from smoking can exacerbate asthma by inflaming the airways, and can trigger the condition in susceptible children. Asthma affects one in 11 children in the UK.
"The smoking ban has been an unqualified public health success. There is a whole array of benefits," said Christopher Millett, of Imperial College in London, whose study on the NHS figures appears in the Pediatrics journal.
Millett drew on NHS figures known as hospital episodes statistics from April 2002 to November 2010. The reductions in childhood asthma admissions were similar for both boys and girls aged 14 and under, regardless of whether they came from poor or wealthy areas of cities or rural areas.
Emily Humphreys, head of policy and public affairs at Asthma UK, said: "It's great to see growing evidence of the positive impact of smoke-free legislation. This is something we campaigned for, so it is particularly encouraging that there has been a fall in children's hospital admissions for asthma since its introduction.
"We have long known that smoking and secondhand smoke are harmful: they not only trigger asthma attacks which put children in hospital but can even cause them to develop the condition. We've seen the benefits of reducing secondhand smoke exposure; now we need to do more to prevent children and young people from taking up smoking by introducing plain packaging for tobacco."
Studies have highlighted other health benefits as people have either cut down on smoking or inhaled less secondhand smoke. In 2010, researchers at Bath University reported a 2.4% fall in emergency admissions in England for heart attacks in the wake of the smoking ban. The fall equated to 1,200 fewer cases in the first year after the ban was introduced. The Guardian
The number of children admitted to hospital after serious asthma attacks has fallen steeply in England since smoking was banned in public places such as bars, restaurants and offices.
Hospitals recorded 6,802 fewer cases of childhood asthma in the first three years of the ban, which was introduced in England in July 2007, according to NHS figures.
Researchers said the fall came as more people imposed smoke-free homes in the wake of the legislation.
Before the change in law, hospital admissions for the condition were rising 2.2% year on year. In the first year after the ban admissions fell by 12.3%, and there were further falls of more than 3% in each of the following two years.
A previous study showed a similar fall in Scotland where the ban was brought in a year earlier.
The findings allay concerns voiced before the change in the law that a wide-ranging ban in public places might drive up smoking in the home, where children are vulnerable to secondhand smoke.
The fumes from smoking can exacerbate asthma by inflaming the airways, and can trigger the condition in susceptible children. Asthma affects one in 11 children in the UK.
"The smoking ban has been an unqualified public health success. There is a whole array of benefits," said Christopher Millett, of Imperial College in London, whose study on the NHS figures appears in the Pediatrics journal.
Millett drew on NHS figures known as hospital episodes statistics from April 2002 to November 2010. The reductions in childhood asthma admissions were similar for both boys and girls aged 14 and under, regardless of whether they came from poor or wealthy areas of cities or rural areas.
Emily Humphreys, head of policy and public affairs at Asthma UK, said: "It's great to see growing evidence of the positive impact of smoke-free legislation. This is something we campaigned for, so it is particularly encouraging that there has been a fall in children's hospital admissions for asthma since its introduction.
"We have long known that smoking and secondhand smoke are harmful: they not only trigger asthma attacks which put children in hospital but can even cause them to develop the condition. We've seen the benefits of reducing secondhand smoke exposure; now we need to do more to prevent children and young people from taking up smoking by introducing plain packaging for tobacco."
Studies have highlighted other health benefits as people have either cut down on smoking or inhaled less secondhand smoke. In 2010, researchers at Bath University reported a 2.4% fall in emergency admissions in England for heart attacks in the wake of the smoking ban. The fall equated to 1,200 fewer cases in the first year after the ban was introduced. The Guardian
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