Child hospital admissions ‘fall as a result of public smoking ban’

The introduction of the smoking ban in England in 2007 has coincided with a pronounced reduction in the number of child hospitalisations.

This is according to a study from the University of Edinburgh, published in the European Respiratory Journal, which indicates that 11,000 fewer children are admitted to hospital with lung infections every year thanks to the ban.

Hospital admissions for children with respiratory infections fell by 3.5 percent immediately after the ban was introduced, with chest infections taking the biggest hit, as well as nose, throat and sinus infections.

It is also estimated that the introduction of the law reduced the number of adults smoking in the home from 65 percent to 55 percent.

Dr Jasper Been, of the University of Edinburgh and Maastricht University, said: "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."

Since 2007, the government has made further efforts to curb smoking habits, including the recent ban on smoking in cars carrying children and the planned introduction of plain packaging for cigarettes.