Smoking ban’s health benefits kick in

Jun 30 2008 by Madeleine Brindley, South Wales Echo

THE advent of the smoking ban has seen a dramatic fall in the number of heart attacks in patients.

Hospitals in the area have seen some of the highest falls in the number of patients admitted after suffering a heart attack.

Across Wales there was a 12.5% drop in the number of people admitted to hospital with a heart attack between October and December last year, compared with the same period in 2006, before the ban on smoking in enclosed public spaces came into force.

But Cwm Taf NHS Trust, which covers the South Wales Valleys, where the number of smokers is particularly high, saw the number of heart attack admissions fall by up to a quarter.

Although the causes of heart attacks are complex and also relate to lifestyle factors, such as diet and exercise, smoking is a major cause of heart disease.

The figures follow claims that hospital admissions for heart attacks in Scotland and Ireland fell by 17% and 14% respectively in the year after the bans were introduced in 2006 and 2004.

Dr Tony Jewell, Wales’ chief medical officer, said: “Given the high level of compliance to the legislation in Wales, we are now starting to see similar health benefits such as reduced hospital admissions for heart attacks that has already been seen in Scotland, which introduced its smoke-free legislation a little over two years ago.”

The figures, which are released today by Plaid Cymru, reveal that between October and December 2007, the number of patients admitted to hospital following a heart attack fell 22% in south-east Wales. But in Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan, the numbers rose slightly.

Dr Mike Knapton, director of prevention and care at the British Heart Foundation, said: “These new statistics are very significant, and indicate the smoking ban has had a beneficial effect on the number of heart attacks quicker than many people predicted.

“The smoking ban is the most momentous public health initiative in recent years.”

A year after the ban was introduced in Wales in April 2007, it has been estimated that there has been a 20% increase in the number of people seeking help to quit the habit.

South Wales has also been largely compliant with the ban, just 27 of the 107 fixed penalty notices issued have been in South Wales.

Chris Franks, the Plaid Cymru AM for South Wales Central, who obtained the information, said: “Earlier and better interventions in heart disease clearly also have an impact but I’m sure the ban on encouraging people to give up smoking is also a major factor.

“Encouraging people to give up smoking through measures like the smoking ban is clearly paying early dividends.”

madeleine.brindley@mediawales.co.uk