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Health & Fitness

Smoke-Free Laws Helps Kids, Too

Smoke-free laws provide substantial health benefits for children, according to a recent study in theLancet. Environments free of second-hand smoke are associated with a considerable decrease in premature births and a 10 percent reduction in hospitalizations for asthma in children, the Lancetanalysis indicates.

Multiple studies have demonstrated that smoke-free environments result in significantly reduced cardiovascular events and hospital admissions caused by respiratory diseases for adults. This is the first study to show similar benefits for perinatal and child health. About 40 percent of children worldwide are exposed to the hazards of second-hand smoke.

Smoke-free laws create environments that decrease this exposure to hazardous second-hand smoke and the negative health affects associated with that exposure. As an added benefit, smoke-free laws for the workplace and public places oftenencourage people to quit cigarettes and/or to maintain smoke-free homes. This further reduces second-hand smoke exposure for everyone.

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The Bottom Line on Smoke-Free Laws

Furthermore, smoke-free laws and policies can result in huge savings on medical costs. For example, a 10 percent decrease in hospitalizations could save the US and Europe an estimated $7 billion every year.

In 1993, the Joint Commission required all hospitals to ban indoor smoking. In 2010, the North Shore-LIJ Health System expanded on this policy to prohibit tobacco use on its outdoor campuses, too. This policy has the potential to:

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  • decrease exposure to second-hand smoke for patients, visitors and staff members;
  • reduce hospitalizations and re-admissions;
  • improve health and well-being;
  • enhance patient, visitor and employee satisfaction;
  • decrease costs associated with tobacco-related disease and disability;
  • encourage community members to make their own homes smoke-free; and
  • increase attempts to quit tobacco for good.

If a tobacco-free environment motivates you to consider quitting, take advantage of our  comprehensive, free stop-smoking programs.

This post was written by Patricia Folan, RN, DNP, director of the North Shore-LIJ Center for Tobacco Control.

For more North Shore-LIJ Health Blog posts, go to http://blog.northshorelij.com/ 

Contents of the health blog are the property of North Shore-LIJ Health System and are provided as a health resource for consumers, health care professionals and members of the media. The medical content on the North Shore-LIJ Health Blog is for informational purposes only and should not be considered a substitute for consultation with your physician regarding diagnosis, treatment or any other form of specific medical advice. These materials may be reprinted for noncommercial personal use only. "North Shore-LIJ Health System," "North Shore-LIJ," "northshorelij.com," "VivoHealth," their related entities and logos are trademarks of the North Shore-LIJ Health System. Copyright © 2011 North Shore-LIJ Health System. All rights reserved.

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