Over the course of the last fifteen years, indoor smoking bans have become increasingly common throughout the United States. Before states began limiting smoking to outdoor spaces, one could smoke anywhere—inside restaurants, bars, even inside hospital rooms, offices, and schools. Now, studies are noticing signs of positive effects of smoking bans on public health.
A new study from researchers at Brown University and the University of Kansas examined asthmatic kids’ emergency room visits between 2000 and 2014, a time when many smoking bans went into effect. The team logged over 300,000 visits across 20 hospitals in 14 states, controlling for age, gender, race, and Medicare enrollment to account for socioeconomic status.
The Results
While rates varied depending on the specific area survived, the overall trend showed the asthmatic kids admitted for fewer asthma-related ER visits over time. After just one year, the average decline was 8%. With two years, it dropped 13%. Within three years, the ER visits were down 17%.
It was not possible to control the trial to prove indoor smoking bans singlehandedly reduced asthma-related ER visits, but it’s a likely interpretation of the available data.
Almost every state in the United States has some smoking ban in place, but only 26 states (as of October 1, 2016,) have banned smoking indoors at restaurants, bars, and non-hospitality workplaces. By implementing indoor smoking bans in remaining places, asthma-related ER visits could be further reduced.
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| Some states have implemented measures banning smoking in public indoor establishments, but comprehensive legislation across the U.S. does not yet exist. Source: cdc.gov (2010) |
Conclusion
The data from this study of asthma-related ER visits suggests that laws banning smoking indoors reduces the prevalence of pediatric asthma-related ER visits. By reducing smoking, it’s possible to reduce the adverse health effects of secondhand smoke, especially on children who have no consent in the spaces they occupy.
While it’s not conclusive that the reduction in ER visits was an effect of smoking bans, indoor tobacco legislation is associated with a decrease in emergency department visits for asthma exacerbation. If other states follow through with these bans, it’s possible that ER visits for asthma could further decrease in number.
