Changes in acceptance of workplace smoking bans following their implementation: a prospective study.

Recent cross-sectional and retrospective studies suggest that the attitudes of employees toward workplace smoking bans may become more positive after the bans have been introduced. Using a prospective design, we found that the attitudes of nonsmokers, ex-smokers, and smokers became more favorable over the 6 months following the introduction of smoking bans to Australian Government Offices. The magnitude of changes in approval ratings was greatest for smokers, but smokers were also more likely to disapprove of the bans before and after their introduction than were nonsmokers and ex-smokers. Among smokers, there was a strong relationship between the extent to which they saw themselves inconvenienced by the bans and the extent to which they disapproved of them. Overall, the bans were accepted and viewed in a positive light, but there was nevertheless a significant minority of smokers who remained disgruntled with them. Some ways in which the concerns of this subgroup of smokers may be addressed are considered.