Children breathe easier with smoke-free laws

(Reuters Health) – Children with asthma who live in areas with “smoke-free” laws may suffer fewer bouts of coughing and wheezing as a result, a new study suggests.

The findings, reported in the journal Pediatrics, add to evidence that smoking bans in workplaces, restaurants and bars have produced health benefits. But until now, most research has focused on adults.

In the current study, researchers found that children and teenagers who lived in U.S. counties with smoke-free laws were no less likely to have asthma than kids in counties without such laws.

Kids with asthma were, however, less likely to report persistent problems with wheezing and nighttime coughing bouts when they lived in smoke-free counties.