Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2006 Jun;15 Suppl 3(Suppl 3):iii51-8.
doi: 10.1136/tc.2005.013649.

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 Fong  1 , A Hyland, R Borland, D Hammond, G Hastings, A McNeill, S Anderson, K M Cummings, S Allwright, M Mulcahy, F Howell, L Clancy, M E Thompson, G Connolly, P Driezen
Affiliations

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 Fong et al. Tob Control. 2006 Jun.

Abstract

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.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Competing interest statement: All authors declare that the answer to the questions on your competing interest form www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/317/7154/291/DC1 are all “No” and therefore have nothing to declare.

References

    1. California Environmental Protection Agency Health effects of exposure to environmental tobacco smoke. Smoking and Tobacco Control Monograph, 10. Bethesda, Maryland: National Cancer Institute, 2001
    1. Glantz S A, Parmley W. Passive smoking and heart disease: epidemiology, physiology, and biochemistry. Circulation 1991831–12. - PubMed
    1. Borland R, Chapman S, Owen N.et al Effects of workplace bans on cigarette consumption. Am J Public Health 199080178–180. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Borland R, Owen N, Hocking B. Changes in smoking behaviour after a total workplace smoking ban. Aust J Public Health 199115130–134. - PubMed
    1. Stillman F A, Becker D M, Swank R T.et al Ending smoking at the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions. An evaluation of smoking prevalence and indoor air pollution. JAMA 19902541565–1569. - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms

Substances