International researchers have found a possible link between banning smoking in restaurants/bars, and a decrease in the incidence of severe heart attacks in New Zealand.
The study, conducted by Scottish researchers, looked at the incidence of severe heart attacks three years after the smoking ban was introduced, and found a significant decrease.
An excerpt: (read in full here)
“Edinburgh University researchers made a study in New Zealand three years after a smoking ban was introduced here, and found hospital admissions for heart attacks among men and women aged 55-74 fell by 9 percent.
“This figure rose to 13 percent for 55-74 year olds who had never smoked, the university said in a statement.
“Overall, the research showed heart attacks among people aged 30 and over fell by an average of 5 percent in the three years following the ban.”