Jump to full article: WCBI (Columbus, MS), 2009-11-09
Intro: A Mississippi State study released Monday [Nov. 9] shows a 27 percent decrease in heart attacks among Starkville residents since the city passed a smoking ban in 2006.
Researchers associated with the university report also are recommending a statewide public ban on smoking.
The study by Robert McMillen and Dr. Robert Collins shows fewer heart attacks being treated at the Oktibbeha County Hospital. It focused on Starkville residents in the three-year span after the ban became law, compared to three years prior.
McMillen is an assistant professor in the psychology department and researcher at MSU's nationally recognized Social Science Research Center; Collins is director of University Health Services.
Their findings are part of a larger SSRC evaluation of Mississippi communities that passed smoking bans in recent years. McMillen said the data shows Starkville benefitting medically from the smoking ban.
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