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Smoking bans: Influence on smoking prevalence
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Abstract
Author
Keywords
Findings
References
Abstract
Objectives
This article reports trends in smoking prevalence and smoking restrictions in Canada since 2000, and examines associations between home and workplacerestrictions and smoking cessation.
Data sources
Data are from the Canadian Tobacco Use Monitoring Survey and the longitudinal component of the National Population Health Survey.
Analytical techniques
Trends in smoking prevalence and smoking restrictions were calculated. Associations between home and workplace smoking restrictions and smoking cessation were examined in the context of the Transtheoretical Model, which proposes that smokers go through five distinct stages in attempting to quit. The likelihood of current and former smokers being at specific stages was studied in relation to smoking restrictions at home and at work. Longitudinal data were used to determine if home and workplace smoking restrictions were predictors of quitting over a two-year period.
Main results
Since 2000, Canadians smokers have faced a growing number of restrictions on where they can smoke. Bans at home and at work were associated with a reduced likelihood of being in the initial "stages of change," and an increased likelihood of being in the latter stages. Smokers who reported newly smoke-free homes or workplaces were more likely to quit over the next two years, compared with those who did not encounter such restrictions at home or at work.
Author
- Margot Shields, Health Information and Research Division
Statistics Canada
Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0T6
Telephone: (613) 951-4177
Email: Margot.Shields@statcan.ca
Keywords
- Smoking prevalence
- tobacco use
- environmental tobacco smoke (ETS)
- smoking cessation
- stages of change
Findings
The health hazards of exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) are well documented. As the 21st century began, smoking restrictions were proliferating, with provinces and major cities passing legislation to ban smoking in public places. By 2003, such laws were in effect in over 300 municipalities across Canada. [Full text]
References
