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Smoking Bans Cause 9% to 13% Reduction in Heart Attacks!

Smoking bans work to save lives and improve health, say researchers in New Zealand who followed heart attack incidences in years following the implementation of a major public smoking ban.

Researchers in New Zealand examined the rate of hospital admissions for heart attacks following the implementation of a smoking ban in many public spaces, including all workplaces, bars and restaurants.

In the three years following the passing of this legislation:

  • Heart attacks dropped by 13% amongst 55 to 74 year old men and women who had never smoked and 9% across all 55 to 74 year olds
  • Heart attacks amongst those over the age of 30 declined by 5%
  • Men benefited more from the smoking ban than women (men had a greater decline in hospital admissions)
  • People from wealthier neighborhoods experienced a greater decline in heart attacks than people from poorer neighborhoods

The full results of the study can be read in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health.

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