Impact of smoke-free legislation on perinatal and infant mortality: a national quasi-experimental study
Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Smoke-free legislation is associated with improved early-life outcomes; however its impact on perinatal survival is unclear. We linked individual-level data with death certificates for all registered singletons births in England (1995–2011). We used interrupted time series logistic regression analysis to study changes in key adverse perinatal events following the July 2007 national, comprehensive smoke-free legislation. We studied 52,163 stillbirths and 10,238,950 live-births. Smoke-free legislation was associated with an immediate 7.8% (95%CI 3.5–11.8; p < 0.001) reduction in stillbirth, a 3.9% (95%CI 2.6–5.1; p < 0.001) reduction in low birth weight, and a 7.6% (95%CI 3.4–11.7; p = 0.001) reduction in neonatal mortality. No significant impact on SIDS was observed. Using a counterfactual scenario, we estimated that in the first four years following smoke-free legislation, 991 stillbirths, 5,470 cases of low birth weight, and 430 neonatal deaths were prevented. In conclusion, smoke-free legislation in England was associated with clinically important reductions in severe adverse perinatal outcomes.
Date Issued
2015-08-13
Date Acceptance
2015-07-14
Citation
Scientific Reports, 2015, 5
ISSN
2045-2322
Publisher
Nature Publishing Group
Journal / Book Title
Scientific Reports
Volume
5
Copyright Statement
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons license, unless indicated otherwise in the credit line; if the material is not included under the Creative Commons license, users will need to obtain permission from the license holder to reproduce the material. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
License URL
Sponsor
National Institute for Health Research
Grant Number
RP_2014-04-032
Subjects
Science & Technology
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Science & Technology - Other Topics
ENVIRONMENTAL TOBACCO-SMOKE
RETROSPECTIVE ANALYSIS
MYOCARDIAL-INFARCTION
HOSPITAL ADMISSIONS
SYSTEMATIC ANALYSIS
PREGNANCY OUTCOMES
CIGARETTE-SMOKING
MATERNAL SMOKING
INCOME COUNTRIES
PRETERM BIRTHS
England
Female
Humans
Infant
Infant Mortality
Infant, Low Birth Weight
Infant, Newborn
Perinatal Mortality
Pregnancy
Smoke-Free Policy
Smoking
Publication Status
Published
Article Number
13020