More evidence of fast benefits of smokefree law: Emergency visits for bronchospasm drop after Uruguay’s 100% law

Sara Kalkoran, Ernesto Sebrie, Edguardo Sandoya, and I just published "Effect of Uruguay's National 100% Smokefree Law on Emergency Visits for Bronchospasm" in American Journal of Preventive Medicine.  This paper adds to the robust literature showing that 100% smokefree laws have immediate health benefits that immediately reduce medical costs.
 
Here is the abstract:
 

Introduction
Implementation of smokefree laws is followed by drops in hospital admissions for cardiovascular diseases and asthma. The impact of smokefree laws on use of non-hospital medical services has not been assessed. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the impact of Uruguay’s national 100% smokefree legislation on non-hospital emergency care visits, hospitalizations for bronchospasm, and bronchodilator use.
 
Methods
The monthly number of non-hospital emergency care visits and hospitalizations for bronchospasm, as well as monthly puffs of bronchodilators (total and per person), from 3 years prior to the adoption of the 100% smokefree policy on March 1, 2006, through 5 years after the policy were assessed using interrupted time series negative binomial regression. Data analysis was conducted in 2014.
 
Results
The incidence of non-hospital emergency visits for bronchospasm decreased by 15% (incidence rate ratio [IRR]=0.85, 95% CI=0.76, 0.94) following implementation of the law. Hospitalizations for bronchospasm did not change significantly (IRR=0.89, 95% CI=0.66, 1.21). Total monthly puffs of salbutamol and ipratropium administered in the non-hospital emergency setting decreased by 224 (95% CI=–372, –76) and 179 (95% CI=–340, –18.6), respectively, from means of 1,222 and 1,007 before the law.
 
Conclusions
Uruguay’s 100% smokefree law was followed by fewer emergency visits for bronchospasm and less need for treatment, supporting adoption of such policies in low- and middle-income countries to reduce the disease burden and healthcare costs associated with smoking.

 
The full paper is available here.