BACKGROUND: The Smoke-Free Ontario Act (SFOA) came into effect in May 2006 and included restrictions to outdoor hospitality areas by only permitting smoking on a patio if the area had no roof. OBJECTIVES: (1) To assess the impact of the SFOA on the prevalence of smoke-free patios in Ontario and (2) to determine the proportion of venues where structural alterations were made rather than going smoke-free in order to achieve compliance with the SFOA. METHODS: A telephone survey of 403 hospitality sector operators/owners in four clustered samples of Ontario, Canada. RESULTS: Based on completed surveys, the SFOA resulted in an increase in prevalence of smoke-free patios, from 5% (n=21) to 25% (n=99). Of the patios where smoking was permitted before the SFOA (n=382), 42% (n=161) had physical structures that would make smoking not permissible under the new act. Operators of half of these venues (n=80) made their patios smoke-free, with most indicating they had no choice given the costs or physical limitations to changing their outdoor environment. The other half (n=81) reported making physical changes, including removing roof structures to achieve compliance. CONCLUSION: The SFOA resulted in greater protection from outdoor secondhand smoke; however, most patios still permitted smoking. Half of the venues that complied with the SFOA by going smoke-free did so involuntarily because of structural and/or financial limitations. The majority of venue operators preferred to permit smoking on their patios, and only made their patios smoke-free when they were required to do so by law.
BACKGROUND: The Smoke-Free Ontario Act (SFOA) came into effect in May 2006 and included restrictions to outdoor hospitality areas by only permitting smoking on a patio if the area had no roof. OBJECTIVES: (1) To assess the impact of the SFOA on the prevalence of smoke-free patios in Ontario and (2) to determine the proportion of venues where structural alterations were made rather than going smoke-free in order to achieve compliance with the SFOA. METHODS: A telephone survey of 403 hospitality sector operators/owners in four clustered samples of Ontario, Canada. RESULTS: Based on completed surveys, the SFOA resulted in an increase in prevalence of smoke-free patios, from 5% (n=21) to 25% (n=99). Of the patios where smoking was permitted before the SFOA (n=382), 42% (n=161) had physical structures that would make smoking not permissible under the new act. Operators of half of these venues (n=80) made their patios smoke-free, with most indicating they had no choice given the costs or physical limitations to changing their outdoor environment. The other half (n=81) reported making physical changes, including removing roof structures to achieve compliance. CONCLUSION: The SFOA resulted in greater protection from outdoor secondhand smoke; however, most patios still permitted smoking. Half of the venues that complied with the SFOA by going smoke-free did so involuntarily because of structural and/or financial limitations. The majority of venue operators preferred to permit smoking on their patios, and only made their patios smoke-free when they were required to do so by law.
Authors: Ryan David Kennedy; Ilan Behm; Lorraine Craig; Mary E Thompson; Geoffrey T Fong; Romain Guignard; Francois Beck Journal: Eur J Public Health Date: 2012-02 Impact factor: 3.367
Authors: Maria J López; Esteve Fernández; Giuseppe Gorini; Hanns Moshammer; Kinga Polanska; Luke Clancy; Bertrand Dautzenberg; Agnes Delrieu; Giovanni Invernizzi; Glòria Muñoz; Jose Precioso; Ario Ruprecht; Peter Stansty; Wojciech Hanke; Manel Nebot Journal: PLoS One Date: 2012-08-01 Impact factor: 3.240
Authors: Olivia Wynne; Ashleigh Guillaumier; Laura Twyman; Sam McCrabb; Alexandra M J Denham; Christine Paul; Amanda L Baker; Billie Bonevski Journal: Int J Environ Res Public Health Date: 2018-07-02 Impact factor: 3.390