Decreased Smoking Leads to Reduced Heart Disease-related Deaths

Joseph Conigliaro, MD, MPH, FACP Internal Medicine October 1, 2008 Decline in smoking leads to drop in coronary heart disease deaths What the news means for you How effective are tobacco-free initiatives? To find out, a group of Harvard researchers... More

Joseph Conigliaro, MD, MPH, FACP Internal Medicine October 1, 2008 Decline in smoking leads to drop in coronary heart disease deaths What the news means for you How effective are tobacco-free initiatives? To find out, a group of Harvard researchers recently analyzed data over a 10-year period following the implementation of the Massachusetts Tobacco Control Program (MTCP). The sweeping statewide anti-tobacco program was authorized by a 1992 ballot initiative and funded by a special cigarette tax. The researchers found that between 1993 and 2003 a 29 percent decline in smokers in Massachusetts coincided with a 31 percent drop in coronary heart disease (CHD) deaths in persons age 25 to 84. In an article published in the August 2008 issue of the American Journal of Public Health, Zabubair Kabir, MD, PhD, and his colleagues report that 425 fewer CHD deaths in 2003 can be attributed to this reduction in smoking. The smoking rate dropped from 20. 5 percent Less