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. 1998 Jul-Aug;89(4):224-8.
doi: 10.1007/BF03403921.

The Ontario ban on smoking on school property: perceived impact on smoking

D A Northrup  1 , M J Ashley, R Ferrence
Affiliations

The Ontario ban on smoking on school property: perceived impact on smoking

D A Northrup et al. Can J Public Health. 1998 Jul-Aug.

Abstract
in English, French

We evaluated the impact of the November 1994 ban on smoking on school property in Ontario. Telephone interviews were conducted at the end of the 1995-96 school year with 213 high school administrators. Almost all high schools (96%) prohibit smoking on school property. Although some smoking still occurs on school property, the location of smoking by students has changed, giving rise to perceptions of both benefits and risks, as well as varying complaints from parents, students, neighbours, and nearby businesses. Most of the problems arising from the ban are viewed as minor. Local conditions, particularly the geographic environment of the school, appear to be important determinants of complaints and problems. While sizeable minorities of school administrators felt the ban had favourable effects, the majority perceived little effect on either smoking behaviour or attitudes towards smoking.

Nous avons évalué l’impact de l’interdiction de fumer sur les lieux scolaires, entrée en vigueur en novembre 1994 en Ontario. On a procédé à des entrevues par téléphone à la fin de l’année scolaire 1995–1996 auprès de 213 administrateurs d’écoles secondaires. Pratiquement toutes les écoles secondaires (96 %) interdisent de fumer sur les lieux de l’école. Bien que certaines personnes fument encore sur les lieux de l’école, l’endroit où elles fument a changé, ce qui a donné lieu à de nouvelles perceptions tant des avantages que des risques, ainsi qu’à différentes plaints de la part des parents, des étudiants, des voisins et des commerces avoisinants. La plupart des problèmes découlant de l’interdiction de fumer sont considérés comme mineurs. Les conditions locales, particulièrement la situation géographique de l’école, apparaissent comme d’importants facteurs à l’origine des plaintes et des problèmes. Bien qu’une minorité non négligeable d’administrateurs scolaires ait le sentiment que l’interdiction a eu des effets bénéfiques, pour la majorité d’entre eux par contre, elle n’a eu que peu d’influence sur le tabagisme ou sur les attitudes à son sujet.

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References

    1. Ontario Ministry of Health, Health Promotion Branch. The Ontario Tobacco Strategy Overview. 1993.
    1. Province of Ontario. Bill 119, 35th Legislature. Chapter 10, Statutes of Ontario. An Act to Prevent the Provision of Tobacco to Young Persons and to Regulate its Sale and Use by Others. Toronto: Legislative Assembly of Ontario; 1994.
    1. Ashley MJ, Northrup D, Ferrence R. The Ontario ban on smoking on school property: Issues and challenges in enforcement. Can J Public Health. 1998;89(4):229–32. - PMC - PubMed
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