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. 2024 Aug 31:22.
doi: 10.18332/tid/191797. eCollection 2024.

Support for regulating smoking in private and public places by adults who currently smoke and recently quit smoking in Spain

Marcela Fu  1   2   3   4 , Yolanda Castellano  1   2   4 , Olena Tigova  1   2   4   5 , Mónica Pérez-Ríos  6   7 , Pete Driezen  8   9 , Susan C Kaai  8   9 , Anne C K Quah  8 , Constantine I Vardavas  10   11   12 , Geoffrey T Fong  8   9   13 , Esteve Fernández  1   2   4   5
Affiliations

Support for regulating smoking in private and public places by adults who currently smoke and recently quit smoking in Spain

Marcela Fu et al. Tob Induc Dis. .

Abstract

Introduction: While indoor smoking restrictions are common, outdoor restrictions are still rare. We explored opinions and support for regulating smoking in different indoor and outdoor environments among adults who smoke and those who recently quit smoking, in Spain.

Methods: The 2021 ITC EUREST-PLUS Spain Survey is a cross-sectional study conducted among a nationally representative sample of 1006 adults aged ≥18 years who smoked cigarettes (n=867) or had recently quit smoking (n=139). Using Poisson regression with robust variance, we estimated adjusted prevalence and prevalence ratios of favorable opinions on regulating smoking in different indoor and outdoor environments and support for regulation in unregulated outdoor environments, by sociodemographic and smoking-related characteristics.

Results: There were highly favorable opinions for regulating smoking in places with minors (>95% in primary and secondary playgrounds, and cars with pre-school children and minors) and outdoor transportation (60-80%). There were less favorable opinions for regulating smoking in outdoor terraces of bars/pubs and restaurants (15-20%). Support for further total outdoor regulations on smoking was moderate for markets/shopping centers, public building entrances and swimming pools (40-60%), and low for restaurants/bars/pubs (29.2%). Having quit smoking, having no significant others who smoke and/or believing that cigarette smoke is harmful to others, were factors positively associated with favorable opinions and support for regulating smoking.

Conclusions: The settings in Spain with the most favorable opinions for regulation among adults who smoke and have recently quit smoking are places with minors, private cars with others and outdoor areas of public transportation, while the settings with the least favorable opinions were outdoor terraces of bars, pubs, and restaurants. Support for further total outdoor smoking bans is generally moderate, but low for restaurants, bars, and pubs. Overall, these findings suggest the feasibility of extending smoke-free policies to other public and private settings to protect others from tobacco smoke exposure.

Keywords: outdoor places; private places; public places; smoke-free regulation; support.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have each completed and submitted an ICMJE form for disclosure of potential conflicts of interest. The authors declare that they have no competing interests, financial or otherwise, related to the current work. M. Fu, Y. Castellano, O. Tigova and E. Fernández report that since the initial planning of the work, they received funding for the conduct of the study from Instituto de Salud Carlos III (grant PI17/01338, co-funded by European Regional Development Fund ERDF, a way to build Europe) and support for the article processing charges from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie (grant agreement No 101008139). Furthermore, they report that in the past 36 months there was support for the Tobacco Control Research Group of the Institut d’Investigació Biomèdica de Bellvitge – IDIBELL from the Ministry of Universities and Research, Government of Catalonia (2021SGR00906). P. Driezen, S.C. Kaai., A.C.K. Quah, and G.T. Fong report that during the initial planning of the work they were supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (FDN-148477) grant. C.I. Vardavas reports that in the past 36 months he has been the journal’s strategic development officer and that he was not involved in the peer review or decision-making process of the manuscript. G.T. Fong reports that in the past 36 months he received a Senior Investigator Award, Ontario Institute for Cancer Research (IA-004) and that he has served as an expert witness or consultant for governments defending their country’s policies or regulations in litigation.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Factors associated with favorable opinions on smoke-free regulation in outdoor places with different regulation among a nationally representative sample of adults who smoke and recently quit smoking, ITC EUREST-PLUS Spain Survey, Spain, 2021 (N=1006)
Figure 2
Figure 2
Factors associated with favorable opinions on smoke-free regulation in outdoor places currently not regulated by law among a nationally representative sample of adults who smoke and recently quit smoking, ITC EUREST-PLUS Spain Survey, Spain, 2021 (N=1006)
Figure 3
Figure 3
Factors associated with support for further total outdoor smoking bans among a nationally representative sample of adults who smoke and recently quit smoking, ITC EUREST-PLUS Spain Survey, Spain, 2021 (N=1006)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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