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. 2020 Apr;75(4):345-347.
doi: 10.1136/thoraxjnl-2019-213998. Epub 2020 Jan 27.

Impact of banning smoking in cars with children on exposure to second-hand smoke: a natural experiment in England and Scotland

Anthony A Laverty  1 , Thomas Hone  2 , Eszter P Vamos  2 , Philip E Anyanwu  3 , David Taylor-Robinson  4 , Frank de Vocht  5 , Christopher Millett  2 , Nicholas S Hopkinson  6
Affiliations

Impact of banning smoking in cars with children on exposure to second-hand smoke: a natural experiment in England and Scotland

Anthony A Laverty et al. Thorax. 2020 Apr.

Abstract

England banned smoking in cars carrying children in 2015 and Scotland in 2016. We used survey data from 3 years for both countries (NEngland=3483-6920, NScotland=232-319) to assess effects of the English ban using logistic regression within a difference-in-differences framework. Among children aged 13-15 years, self-reported levels of regular exposure to smoke in cars for Scotland were 3.4% in 2012, 2.2% in 2014 and 1.3% in 2016 and for England 6.3%, 5.9% and 1.6%. The ban in England was associated with a -4.1% (95% CI -4.9% to -3.3%) absolute reduction (72% relative reduction) in exposure to tobacco smoke among children.

Keywords: smoking cessation; tobacco and the lung.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing interests: None declared.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Percentages of child-reported regular exposure to smoke in cars in England and Scotland 2012–2016
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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