Tobacco Control

HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS REGISTER
[Advanced]

Tobacco Control 2006;15(Supplement 3 ):iii51-iii58; doi:10.1136/tc.2005.013649
Copyright © 2006 by the BMJ Publishing Group Ltd.

This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when eLetters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow Email this link to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Add article to my folders
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Fong, G T
Right arrow Articles by Driezen, P
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Fong, G T
Right arrow Articles by Driezen, P
Related Collections
Right arrow Smoking
Right arrow Health effects of tobacco use
Right arrow Smoking cessation
Right arrow Environmental tobacco smoke

RESEARCH PAPER

Reductions in tobacco smoke pollution and increases in support for smoke-free public places following the implementation of comprehensive smoke-free workplace legislation in the Republic of Ireland: findings from the ITC Ireland/UK Survey

G T Fong1, A Hyland2, R Borland4, D Hammond3, G Hastings5, A McNeill6, S Anderson5, K M Cummings2, S Allwright7, M Mulcahy8, F Howell9, L Clancy10, M E Thompson11, G Connolly12, P Driezen13

1 Department of Psychology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
2 Department of Health Behavior, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, New York, USA
3 Department of Health Studies and Gerontology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
4 Cancer Control Research Institute, The Cancer Council Victoria, Carlton, Victoria, Australia
5 Institute for Social Marketing and Centre for Tobacco Control Research, University of Stirling and the Open University, Stirling, UK
6 University College London, London, UK
7 Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Trinity College Centre for Health Sciences, Adelaide & Meath Hospital incorporating the National Children’s Hospital, Tallaght, Dublin, Republic of Ireland
8 Environmental Health Department, Health Service Executive, Western Area, The Annex, Seamus Quirke Road, Galway, Republic of Ireland
9 National Population Health Directorate-HSE, Department of Public Health, Railway Street, Navan, County Meath, Republic of Ireland
10 Research Institute for a Tobacco-Free Society, The Digital Depot, Dublin, Republic of Ireland
11 Department of Statistics and Actuarial Sciences, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
12 Tobacco Control Research and Training Program, Harvard School of Public Health, Division of Public Health Practice, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
13 International Tobacco Control Policy Evaluation Project, Population Health Research Group, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada

Correspondence to:
Geoffrey T Fong
PhD, Department of Psychology, University of Waterloo, 200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3G1 Canada; gfong{at}uwaterloo.ca

Objective: To evaluate the psychosocial and behavioural impact of the first ever national level comprehensive workplace smoke-free law, implemented in Ireland in March 2004.

Design: Quasi-experimental prospective cohort survey: parallel cohort telephone surveys of national representative samples of adult smokers in Ireland (n = 769) and the UK (n = 416), surveyed before the law (December 2003 to January 2004) and 8–9 months after the law (December 2004 to January 2005).

Main outcome measures: Respondents’ reports of smoking in key public venues, support for total bans in those key venues, and behavioural changes due to the law.

Results: The Irish law led to dramatic declines in reported smoking in all venues, including workplaces (62% to 14%), restaurants (85% to 3%), and bars/pubs (98% to 5%). Support for total bans among Irish smokers increased in all venues, including workplaces (43% to 67%), restaurants (45% to 77%), and bars/pubs (13% to 46%). Overall, 83% of Irish smokers reported that the smoke-free law was a "good" or "very good" thing. The proportion of Irish homes with smoking bans also increased. Approximately 46% of Irish smokers reported that the law had made them more likely to quit. Among Irish smokers who had quit at post-legislation, 80% reported that the law had helped them quit and 88% reported that the law helped them stay quit.

Conclusion: The Ireland smoke-free law stands as a positive example of how a population-level policy intervention can achieve its public health goals while achieving a high level of acceptance among smokers. These findings support initiatives in many countries toward implementing smoke-free legislation, particularly those who have ratified the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, which calls for legislation to reduce tobacco smoke pollution.


Abbreviations: CATI, computer assisted telephone interviewing; FCTC, Framework Convention on Tobacco Control; GEE, generalised estimating equation; ITC-4, International Tobacco Control Four Country Survey; TSP, tobacco smoke pollution

Keywords: Framework Convention on Tobacco Control; FCTC; tobacco smoke pollution; environmental tobacco smoke; secondhand smoke; smoke-free laws; tobacco control policy; policy evaluation




This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
Eval Health ProfHome page
J. F. Thrasher, L. M. Reynales-Shigematsu, L. Baezconde-Garbanati, V. Villalobos, P. Tellez-Giron, E. Arillo-Santillan, A. Dorantes-Alonso, R. Valdes-Salgado, and E. Lazcano-Ponce
Promoting the Effective Translation of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control: A Case Study of Challenges and Opportunities for Strategic Communications in Mexico
Eval Health Prof, June 1, 2008; 31(2): 145 - 166.
[Abstract] [PDF]


Home page
Policy Politics Nursing PracticeHome page
M. K. Rayens, E. J. Hahn, R. E. Langley, S. Hedgecock, K. M. Butler, and L. Greathouse-Maggio
Public Opinion and Smoke-Free Laws
Policy Politics Nursing Practice, November 1, 2007; 8(4): 262 - 270.
[Abstract] [PDF]


Home page
CA Cancer J ClinHome page
M. Eriksen and F. Chaloupka
The Economic Impact of Clean Indoor Air Laws
CA Cancer J Clin, November 1, 2007; 57(6): 367 - 378.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Health Educ ResHome page
W. L. Hamilton, L. Biener, and R. T. Brennan
Do local tobacco regulations influence perceived smoking norms? Evidence from adult and youth surveys in Massachusetts
Health Educ. Res., October 18, 2007; (2007) cym054v1.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
BMJHome page
R. Phillips, A. Amos, D. Ritchie, S. Cunningham-Burley, and C. Martin
Smoking in the home after the smoke-free legislation in Scotland: qualitative study
BMJ, September 15, 2007; 335(7619): 553 - 553.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med.Home page
F. Godfrey
Hold the Front Page: Smoking Bans Good for (Most) Workers' Health
Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med., April 15, 2007; 175(8): 751 - 753.
[Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
NEJMHome page
H. K. Koh, L. X. Joossens, and G. N. Connolly
Making Smoking History Worldwide
N. Engl. J. Med., April 12, 2007; 356(15): 1496 - 1498.
[Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
JAMAHome page
M. D. Eisner
Banning smoking in public places: time to clear the air.
JAMA, October 11, 2006; 296(14): 1778 - 1779.
[Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Tobacco ControlHome page
G T Fong, K M Cummings, D R Shopland, and for the ITC Collaboration
Building the evidence base for effective tobacco control policies: the International Tobacco Control Policy Evaluation Project (the ITC Project)
Tob. Control, June 1, 2006; 15(suppl_3): iii1 - iii2.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Tobacco ControlHome page
G T Fong, K M Cummings, R Borland, G Hastings, A Hyland, G A Giovino, D Hammond, and M E Thompson
The conceptual framework of the International Tobacco Control (ITC) Policy Evaluation Project
Tob. Control, June 1, 2006; 15(suppl_3): iii3 - iii11.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Tobacco ControlHome page
M E Thompson, G T Fong, D Hammond, C Boudreau, P Driezen, A Hyland, R Borland, K M Cummings, G B Hastings, M Siahpush, et al.
Methods of the International Tobacco Control (ITC) Four Country Survey
Tob. Control, June 1, 2006; 15(suppl_3): iii12 - iii18.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]




HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS REGISTER
Terms and conditions relating to subscriptions purchased online  ¦  Website terms and conditions  ¦  Privacy policy
Copyright © 2006 by the BMJ Publishing Group Ltd.