Smoking ban reduces premature births

Banning smoking in public places has started to show result. It has helped cut premature births by 10%.

Passive smoking or secondhand smoking is known to cause babies to be stillborn or born prematurely; it is also linked to birth defects.

Where smoking bans have been introduced has also shown a 10% fall in hospital attendance for childhood asthma attacks.

However, 40% children globally are exposed to second-hand smoke which claims an estimated 160,000 young lives each year and causes significantly more disability. This is because only less that 16% of world’s population is protected by anti-smoking laws.

The study was led by University of Edinburgh together with researchers from Maastricht University, Hasselt University, Harward Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

Written by: Dr. Ajay Sati.