Analysis of responses of Long Beach, California residents to the Smoke-free Bars Law
Introduction
In California, Assembly Bill 13 (AB 13) was adopted in 1994 to protect most categories of workers in indoor spaces from the potentially harmful effects of cigarette smoke. In 1998, that law was extended to mandate smoke-free protection to workers in all alcohol-serving establishments. It became known subsequently as the ‘Smoke-free Bars Law’. Even before implementation of the Smoke-free Bars Law, there were concerns about a possible detrimental impact of such legislation on bars and restaurants by limiting the patronage of people who smoke.1, 2 However, an analysis of data from the California State Board of Equalization and from a Colorado survey revealed that smoke-free restaurant policies do not have an adverse effect on sales in these businesses.3, 4 In fact, a Massachusetts study found that smoke-free policies tended to increase patronage among non-smokers who often did not frequent bars because of the cigarette smoke.5
Since the mid-1990 s, surveys have pointed to an increasingly positive endorsement for laws that mandate smoke-free bars and restaurants. For example, the Massachusetts Department of Health found that between 1992 and 1999, the rate of public support for smoke-free restaurants increased from 37% to approximately 60%. Of note is the fact that the increases in this support occurred for both smokers and non-smokers.6
It should also be noted that research indicates that smoke-free workplace policies in general, and smoke-free bar policies in particular, have positive health consequences for workers. Evidence suggests that adoption of workplace smoking ordinances tends to increase smoking cessation among workers who smoke, extending the benefits of restricting workplace smoking to smokers as well as non-smokers.7 In addition, a clinical study of San Francisco bartenders reported that their respiratory health improved rapidly after the adoption of the California Smoke-free Bars Law.8
Long Beach, California is a city with 460 000 residents. It was independently active in smoking restrictions before the state actions. In 1991, the Long Beach Smoking Ordinance was passed, prohibiting smoking in all workplaces. In 1993, the restrictions were extended to restaurants, but only partially to bars. In 1994, this ordinance was passed as Proposition K by 68% of the voters. The 1998 state law superseded the city law and restricted smoking in all bar areas.
The present study investigated survey responses to the Smoke-free Bars Law by residents of Long Beach. The research specifically aimed to determine: (1) residents’ approval for the 1998 California Smoke-free Bars Law when it was implemented; and (2) changes in approval between baseline and 2-year follow-up. Although one study has examined the attitudes of bar patrons towards the Smoke-free Bars Law,2 there have been few studies of the general population's approval or disapproval of the law.
Section snippets
Sample
The setting for this research was the city of Long Beach, which is the fifth largest city in the state of California and the second largest in Los Angeles County. A computer-assisted telephone interview system survey using random-digit-dialled interviews of residents of the city was conducted in 1998. A similar follow-up study was conducted in 2000. These studies were conducted with people associated with 4270 phone numbers in Long Beach, resulting in a 35% response rate (1507 people) in 1998.
Results
Allowing for listwise deletion of missing data, a total of 784 completed survey questionnaires were available from the 1998 wave of data collection. In the 2000 wave, there were an additional 1237 completed survey questionnaires. Most Long Beach residents who responded to the 1998 telephone survey approved of the Smoke-free Bars Law (65.2%). In the 2000 survey, an even higher percentage (72.6%) of the respondents approved of the Smoke-free Bars Law. Of those who were current smokers and had
Discussion
The major findings from the telephone survey in the city of Long Beach reveal that public support for a law that prohibits smoking in alcohol-serving establishments is high, and that there has been increasing support for a Smoke-free Bars Law from the time of its passage in 1998 to 2 years hence. Support for the law increased more (from 20.6% to 37.1%) among smokers over time, although the level of support in 2000 was still substantially lower than for non-smokers.
The results of this survey are
Acknowledgements
This research was supported by Grant 7RT-0185 from the University of California Tobacco-Related Research Program.
References (14)
- et al.
Behavior intentions of the public after bans on smoking in restaurants and bars
Am J Public Health
(1997) - et al.
Changes in attitudes and patronage behaviors in response to a smoke-free bar law
Am J Public Health
(2003) - et al.
The effect of ordinances requiring smoke-free restaurants on restaurant sales
Am J Public Health
(1994) - et al.
Tourism and hotel revenues before and after passage of smoke-free restaurant ordinances
JAMA
(1999) - et al.
Behavior intentions of the public after bans on smoking in restaurants and bars
Am J Public Health
(1997) - et al.
Support for smoke-free restaurants among Massachusetts adults, 1992–1999
Am J Public Health
(2001) - et al.
The impact of workplace smoking ordinances in California on smoking cessation
Am J Public Health
(2000)
Cited by (8)
Businesses' voluntary pro-health tobacco policies: A review and research agenda
2011, Tobacco ControlPolicy support, norms, and secondhand smoke exposure before and after implementation of a comprehensive smoke-free law in Mexico City
2010, American Journal of Public HealthTrends in adult attitudes toward secondhand smoke in Indiana, 2002-2007: The impact of smoking status
2010, Journal of Public Health Management and PracticeDifferential impact of local and federal smoke-free legislation in Mexico: A longitudinal study among adult smokers
2010, Salud Publica de MexicoMoving toward people's needs for smoke-free restaurants: Before and after a National Promotion Program in Taiwan, 2003-2005
2009, Nicotine and Tobacco Research