More than 1.6 million cases were analysed.
"This study is further demonstration of the considerable potential of anti-smoking laws to improve child health." Dr Jasper Been
Following the introduction of the smoking ban in 2007, the
total number of children requiring hospital attention for respiratory
infections dropped immediately by 3.5 per cent, the study found.
The biggest effect was seen in the number of those suffering chest infections, which fell by almost 14 per cent.The number of admissions attributable to nose, throat and sinus infections also dropped, but the effects were more gradual, the findings reveal.
Researchers compared the figures to mathematical predictions of the number of admissions that would have occurred without the ban.
They estimate that almost 55,000 cases were averted - around 11,000 per year.
Less than one sixth of the world’s population is currently protected by robust anti-smoking laws. Around 40 per cent of children around the world are regularly exposed to second hand smoke.
The many countries that are yet to enforce smoke-free legislation should consider the substantial number of hospital admissions from respiratory infections that occur each year that they delay.Professor Aziz SheikhCo-Director, Centre for Population Health Sciences