Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2013 Feb;131(2):e495-501.
doi: 10.1542/peds.2012-2592. Epub 2013 Jan 21.

Hospital admissions for childhood asthma after smoke-free legislation in England

Christopher Millett  1 , John Tayu Lee, Anthony A Laverty, Stanton A Glantz, Azeem Majeed
Affiliations

Hospital admissions for childhood asthma after smoke-free legislation in England

Christopher Millett et al. Pediatrics. 2013 Feb.

Abstract

Objective: To assess whether the implementation of English smoke-free legislation in July 2007 was associated with a reduction in hospital admissions for childhood asthma.

Methods: Interrupted time series study using Hospital Episodes Statistics data from April 2002 to November 2010. Sample consisted of all children (aged ≤14 years) having an emergency hospital admission with a principle diagnosis of asthma.

Results: Before the implementation of the legislation, the admission rate for childhood asthma was increasing by 2.2% per year (adjusted rate ratio 1.02; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.02-1.03). After implementation of the legislation, there was a significant immediate change in the admission rate of -8.9% (adjusted rate ratio 0.91; 95% CI: 0.89-0.93) and change in time trend of -3.4% per year (adjusted rate ratio 0.97; 95% CI: 0.96-0.98). This change was equivalent to 6802 fewer hospital admissions in the first 3 years after implementation. There were similar reductions in asthma admission rates among children from different age, gender, and socioeconomic status groups and among those residing in urban and rural locations.

Conclusions: These findings confirm those from a small number of previous studies suggesting that the well-documented population health benefits of comprehensive smoke-free legislation appear to extend to reducing hospital admissions for childhood asthma.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Mean daily childhood asthma admissions during each month of the study period. Vertical line indicates implementation of smoke-free legislation in July 2007.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Mean daily childhood asthma admissions during each month of the study period (actual vs counterfactual if there was no legislation).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Semple S, van Tongeren M, Galea KS, et al. UK smoke-free legislation: changes in PM2.5 concentrations in bars in Scotland, England, and Wales. Ann Occup Hyg. 2010;54(3):272–280 - PubMed
    1. Hackshaw L, McEwen A, West R, Bauld L. Quit attempts in response to smoke-free legislation in England. Tob Control. 2010;19(2):160–164 - PubMed
    1. Sims M, Maxwell R, Bauld L, Gilmore A. Short term impact of smoke-free legislation in England: retrospective analysis of hospital admissions for myocardial infarction. BMJ. 2010;340:c2161. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Mackay DF, Irfan MO, Haw S, Pell JP. Meta-analysis of the effect of comprehensive smoke-free legislation on acute coronary events. Heart. 2010;96(19):1525–1530 - PubMed
    1. Herman PM, Walsh ME. Hospital admissions for acute myocardial infarction, angina, stroke, and asthma after implementation of Arizona’s comprehensive statewide smoking ban. Am J Public Health. 2011;101(3):491–496 - PMC - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms

Substances