Extension of Public Smoking Ban Was Not Associated with Any Immediate Effect on Stroke Occurrence in Finland

Jussi O T Sipilä; Jori O Ruuskanen; Jussi P Posti; Päivi Rautava; Ville Kytö

doi:10.3390/jcm10102060

Extension of Public Smoking Ban Was Not Associated with Any Immediate Effect on Stroke Occurrence in Finland

J Clin Med. 2021 May 11;10(10):2060. doi: 10.3390/jcm10102060.

Authors

Jussi O T Sipilä^{1

2}, Jori O Ruuskanen^{2

3}, Jussi P Posti⁴, Päivi Rautava⁵, Ville Kytö^{6

7

8

9}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Neurology, North Karelia Central Hospital, Siun Sote, 80210 Joensuu, Finland.
² Clinical Neurosciences, University of Turku, 20520 Turku, Finland.
³ Department of Neurology, Neurocenter, Turku University Hospital, University of Turku, 20521 Turku, Finland.
⁴ Department of Neurosurgery and Turku Brain Injury Centre, Neurocenter, Turku University Hospital, University of Turku, 20521 Turku, Finland.
⁵ Department of Public Health, Turku Clinical Research Centre and Turku University Hospital, University of Turku, 20521 Turku, Finland.
⁶ Heart Center, Turku University Hospital, 20521 Turku, Finland.
⁷ Research Center of Applied and Preventive Cardiovascular Medicine, University of Turku, 20520 Turku, Finland.
⁸ Center for Population Health Research, Turku University Hospital, University of Turku, 20521 Turku, Finland.
⁹ Administrative Center, Hospital District of Southwest Finland, 20521 Turku, Finland.

Abstract

We investigated the association between the widening of a nationwide restaurant smoking ban, enacted on 1 June 2007, and stroke admissions. All acute stroke admissions between 1 May 2005 and 30 June 2009 were retrieved from a mandatory registry covering mainland Finland. Patients aged ≥18 years were included. One annual admission per patient was included. Negative binomial regression accounting for the at-risk population was applied. We found no difference in stroke occurrence before and after the smoking ban within 7 days (p = 0.217), 30 days (p = 0.176), or the whole study period (p = 0.998). Results were comparable for all stroke subtypes (ischemic stroke, intracerebral hemorrhage, and subarachnoid hemorrhage). There was no sign of decreased occurrence in June 2007 compared to June in 2005-2006, and all subtypes of stroke occurred at least as frequently in both May and June of 2008 as in May and June of 2007. In conclusion, the nationwide restaurant smoking ban Finland enacted in June 2007 was not associated with any immediate reduction in stroke occurrence.

Keywords: public health; smoking; smoking ban; stroke.