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
. 2012 Aug;111(4):166-71; quiz 172.

Evaluating effects of statewide smoking regulations on smoking behaviors among participants in the Survey of the Health of Wisconsin

Alexis Guzmán  1 , Matthew C Walsh, Stevens S Smith, Kristen C Malecki, F Javier Nieto
Affiliations

Evaluating effects of statewide smoking regulations on smoking behaviors among participants in the Survey of the Health of Wisconsin

Alexis Guzmán et al. WMJ. 2012 Aug.

Abstract

Background: Studies have shown that laws banning smoking in public places reduce exposure to secondhand smoke, but the impact of such laws on exposure to smoke outside the home and on household smoking policies has not been well documented. The goal of this study was to evaluate the effects of 2009 Wisconsin Act 12, a statewide smoke-free law enacted in July 2010, among participants in the Survey of the Health of Wisconsin (SHOW).

Methods: Smoking history and demographic information was gathered from 1341 survey participants from 2008 to 2010. Smoking behaviors of independent samples of participants surveyed before and after the legislation was enacted were compared.

Results: The smoking ban was associated with a reduction of participants reporting exposure to smoke outside the home (from 55% to 32%; P<0.0001) and at home (13% to 7%; P=0.002). The new legislation was associated with an increased percentage of participants with no-smoking policies in their households (from 74% to 80%; P=.04). The results were stronger among participants who were older, wealthier, and more educated.

Conclusion: Smoke-free legislation appears to reduce secondhand smoke exposure and to increase no-smoking policies in households. Further research should be conducted to see if these effects are maintained.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Callinan JE, Clarke A, Doherty K, Kelleher C. Legislative smoking bans for reducing secondhand smoke exposure, smoking prevalence and tobacco consumption. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2010;(4) CD005992. - PubMed
    1. Gorini G, Chellini E, Galeone D. What happened in Italy? A brief summary of studies conducted in Italy to evaluate the impact of the smoking ban. Ann Oncol. 2007;18(10):1620–1622. - PubMed
    1. McNabola A, Gill LW. The control of environmental tobacco smoke: a policy review. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2009;6(2):741–758. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Akhtar PC, Haw SJ, Currie DB, Zachary R, Currie CE. Smoking restrictions in the home and secondhand smoke exposure among primary schoolchildren before and after introduction of the Scottish smoke-free legislation. Tob Control. 2009;18(5):409–415. - PubMed
    1. Dinno A, Glantz S. Tobacco control policies are egalitarian: a vulnerabilities perspective on clean indoor air laws, cigarette prices, and tobacco use disparities. Soc Sci Med. 2009;68(8):1439–1447. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types

Substances