According to the findings in the Feb. 12 issue of Circulation, researchers in the Italian capital found an 11.2 percent reduction of acute coronary events in persons between the age of 35 and 64 years and a 7.9 percent reduction in those aged 65 to 74. It however did not reduce coronary events in those aged 75 to 84.
"Since coronary heart disease is a leading cause of death in Italy, the reduction observed had enormous public health implications. It will be interesting to see if the effect of the ban is stable over time, and if similar positive health effects can be detected in other places." said the co-author Francesco Forastiere of the study, head of the environmental and occupational epidemiology unit of the Rome E. Health Authority.
The January 2005 comprehensive smoking ban in Italy included all indoor public places such as offices, retail shops, restaurants, pubs and discos. It also altered people's smoking habits, the frequency of smoking decreased from 34.9 percent to 30.5 percent in men and from 20.6 percent to 20.4 percent in women. Cigarette sales also decreased 5.5 percent.
