T M L Eagan1, J Hetland, L E Aarø. 1. Department of Internal Medicine, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway. tomas.eagan@med.uib.no
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of a total ban on smoking indoors in restaurants and other hospitality business premises in Norway, on respiratory symptoms among workers in the industry. METHODS: Phone interviews with 1525 employees in the hospitality business were conducted immediately before the enacting of the law. In a follow-up study five months later, 906 of the workers from the baseline sample participated. Questions were asked on demographic variables, passive smoking exposure, personal smoking, attitudes towards the law, and five respiratory symptoms. Change in symptom prevalence was analysed with McNemar's test and with analysis of variance (ANOVA) for repeated measures. RESULTS: The prevalence of all five symptoms declined after the ban; for morning cough from 20.6% to 16.2% (p < 0.01); for daytime cough from 23.2% to 20.9%; for phlegm cough from 15.3% to 11.8% (p < 0.05); for dyspnoea from 19.2% to 13.0% (p < 0.01); and for wheezing from 9.0% to 7.8%. ANOVA showed that the largest decline in symptom prevalence was seen among workers who themselves gave up smoking, and subjects with a positive attitude towards the law before it took effect. CONCLUSION: A significant decrease in respiratory symptoms among service industry workers was found five months after the enacting of a public smoking ban.
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of a total ban on smoking indoors in restaurants and other hospitality business premises in Norway, on respiratory symptoms among workers in the industry. METHODS: Phone interviews with 1525 employees in the hospitality business were conducted immediately before the enacting of the law. In a follow-up study five months later, 906 of the workers from the baseline sample participated. Questions were asked on demographic variables, passive smoking exposure, personal smoking, attitudes towards the law, and five respiratory symptoms. Change in symptom prevalence was analysed with McNemar's test and with analysis of variance (ANOVA) for repeated measures. RESULTS: The prevalence of all five symptoms declined after the ban; for morning cough from 20.6% to 16.2% (p < 0.01); for daytime cough from 23.2% to 20.9%; for phlegm cough from 15.3% to 11.8% (p < 0.05); for dyspnoea from 19.2% to 13.0% (p < 0.01); and for wheezing from 9.0% to 7.8%. ANOVA showed that the largest decline in symptom prevalence was seen among workers who themselves gave up smoking, and subjects with a positive attitude towards the law before it took effect. CONCLUSION: A significant decrease in respiratory symptoms among service industry workers was found five months after the enacting of a public smoking ban.
Authors: Miranda R Jones; Heather Wipfli; Shahida Shahrir; Erika Avila-Tang; Jonathan M Samet; Patrick N Breysse; Ana Navas-Acien Journal: Tob Control Date: 2012-01-24 Impact factor: 7.552
Authors: Yolanda Rando-Matos; Mariona Pons-Vigués; María José López; Rodrigo Córdoba; José Luis Ballve-Moreno; Elisa Puigdomènech-Puig; Vega Estíbaliz Benito-López; Olga Lucía Arias-Agudelo; Mercè López-Grau; Anna Guardia-Riera; José Manuel Trujillo; Carlos Martin-Cantera Journal: PLoS One Date: 2017-07-31 Impact factor: 3.240