Hospital admissions for acute myocardial infarction before and after implementation of a comprehensive smoke-free policy in Uruguay
- 15 February 2012
- journal article
- research article
- Published by BMJ in Tobacco Control
- Vol. 22 (e1), e16-e20
- https://doi.org/10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2011-050134
Abstract
Background Stimulated by the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, many countries in Latin America adopted comprehensive smoke-free policies. In March 2006, Uruguay became the first Latin American country to adopt 100% smoke-free national legislation, which ended smoking in all indoor public places and workplaces, including restaurants and bars. The objective of this study was to evaluate trends in hospital admissions for cardiovascular disease 2 years before and 2 years after the policy was implemented in Uruguay. Methods Reports of hospital admissions for acute myocardial infarction (AMI) (International Classification of Disease-10 I21) from 37 hospitals (79% of all hospital admissions in the country), representing the period 2 years before and 2 years after the adoption of a nationwide smoke-free policy in Uruguay (between 1 March 2004 and 29 February 2008), were reviewed. A time series analysis was undertaken to compare the average monthly number of events of hospital admission for AMI before and after the smoke-free law. Results A total of 7949 hospital admissions for AMI were identified during the 4-year study period. Two years after the smoke-free policy was enacted, hospital admissions for AMI fell by 22%. The same pattern and roughly the same magnitude of reduction in AMI admissions were observed for patients seen in public and private hospitals, men, women and people aged 40–65 years and older than 65 years. Conclusions The national smoke-free policy implemented in Uruguay in 2006 was associated with a significant reduction in hospital admissions for AMI.Keywords
This publication has 20 references indexed in Scilit:
- Meta-analysis of the effect of comprehensive smoke-free legislation on acute coronary eventsHeart, 2010
- Reduction of secondhand tobacco smoke in public places following national smoke-free legislation in UruguayTobacco Control, 2010
- Cardiovascular Effect of Bans on Smoking in Public Places: A Systematic Review and Meta-AnalysisJournal of the American College of Cardiology, 2009
- Smoke-free policies and the social acceptability of smoking in Uruguay and Mexico: Findings from the International Tobacco Control Policy Evaluation ProjectNicotine & Tobacco Research, 2009
- Smoke-free Legislation and Hospitalizations for Acute Coronary SyndromeThe New England Journal of Medicine, 2008
- Reduction incidence of myocardial infarction associated with a national legislative ban on smoking.2008
- Effect of the Italian Smoking Ban on Population Rates of Acute Coronary EventsCirculation, 2008
- Declines in Hospital Admissions for Acute Myocardial Infarction in New York State After Implementation of a Comprehensive Smoking BanAmerican Journal of Public Health, 2007
- The impact of a smoking ban on hospital admissions for coronary heart diseasePreventive Medicine, 2007
- Reduction in the Incidence of Acute Myocardial Infarction Associated With a Citywide Smoking OrdinanceCirculation, 2006