Do bans on smoking in public places really improve public health?

It's an important question, as many states now have policies restricting or banning smoking outside of the home. But it's notoriously hard to be sure of the effect of new laws. There can be unintended consequences – for example, if people can't smoke in bars or workplaces, does that mean they smoke more in their homes? And if that's the case, do their children breathe in more smoke as a result of the public ban?

A team of researchers has been looking at these tricky questions, with a review of all the research on the public health effects of smoking bans from around the world. In all, they looked at 50 studies.

Overall, the results were very encouraging. Passive smoking was much reduced, especially for workers in bars and restaurants. The studies didn't show an increase in smoke exposure in the home – indeed, in some studies there was a modest decrease.

This could be because some people took advantage of the public smoking bans to quit smoking altogether. However, the figures on this are not completely clear. The research suggests fewer people smoke in areas that introduce smoking bans, but we can't be completely sure.

The most dramatic result is that areas with smoking bans show a reduction in the numbers of people having heart attacks in the months following the ban. While we can't be 100 percent certain that's due to the ban, all 10 studies that measured this found the same result. That's pretty impressive.

Respiratory symptoms, such as coughs and breathlessness, also declined after the smoking bans, especially for hospitality workers.

What you need to know. If banning smoking in public places can cut heart attacks in the general population, think what stopping smoking could do for your health. To find out more, see our ratings for the best ways to help you quit.

—Anna Sayburn, patient editor, BMJ Group

ConsumerReportsHealth.org has partnered with The BMJ Group to monitor the latest medical research and assess the evidence to help you decide which news you should use.