Geoffrey T Fong1, Genevieve Sansone2, Mi Yan2, Lorraine Craig2, Anne C K Quah2, Yuan Jiang3. 1. Department of Psychology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada Ontario Institute for Cancer Research, Toronto, Ontario, Canada School of Public Health and Health Systems, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. 2. Department of Psychology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. 3. Tobacco Control Office, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: China is the world's largest consumer of tobacco, with hundreds of millions of people exposed daily to secondhand smoke (SHS). Comprehensive smoke-free policies are the only effective way to protect the population from the harms of SHS. China does not have a comprehensive national smoke-free law but some local-level regulations have been implemented. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate local level smoke-free regulations across 7 cities in China by measuring the prevalence of smoking in public places (workplaces, restaurants and bars), and support for smoke-free policies over time. METHODS: Data were from Waves 2 to 4 of the International Tobacco Control (ITC) China Survey (2007-2012), a face-to-face cohort survey of approximately 800 smokers in each of 7 cities in mainland China. Multivariate logistic regression models estimated with generalised estimating equations were used to test the changes in variables over time. RESULTS: As of 2012, over three-quarters of respondents were exposed to smoking in bars; more than two-thirds were exposed to smoking in restaurants and more than half were exposed to smoking in indoor workplaces. Small decreases in the prevalence of smoking were found overall from Waves 2 to 4 for indoor workplaces, restaurants and bars, although the decline was minimal for bars. Support for complete smoking bans increased over time for each venue, although it was lowest for bars. CONCLUSIONS: Existing partial smoking bans across China have had minimal impact on reducing smoking in public places. A strongly enforced, comprehensive national smoke-free law is urgently needed in order to achieve greater public health gains. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/
BACKGROUND: China is the world's largest consumer of tobacco, with hundreds of millions of people exposed daily to secondhand smoke (SHS). Comprehensive smoke-free policies are the only effective way to protect the population from the harms of SHS. China does not have a comprehensive national smoke-free law but some local-level regulations have been implemented. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate local level smoke-free regulations across 7 cities in China by measuring the prevalence of smoking in public places (workplaces, restaurants and bars), and support for smoke-free policies over time. METHODS: Data were from Waves 2 to 4 of the International Tobacco Control (ITC) China Survey (2007-2012), a face-to-face cohort survey of approximately 800 smokers in each of 7 cities in mainland China. Multivariate logistic regression models estimated with generalised estimating equations were used to test the changes in variables over time. RESULTS: As of 2012, over three-quarters of respondents were exposed to smoking in bars; more than two-thirds were exposed to smoking in restaurants and more than half were exposed to smoking in indoor workplaces. Small decreases in the prevalence of smoking were found overall from Waves 2 to 4 for indoor workplaces, restaurants and bars, although the decline was minimal for bars. Support for complete smoking bans increased over time for each venue, although it was lowest for bars. CONCLUSIONS: Existing partial smoking bans across China have had minimal impact on reducing smoking in public places. A strongly enforced, comprehensive national smoke-free law is urgently needed in order to achieve greater public health gains. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/
Entities:
Keywords:
Global health; Low/Middle income country; Public policy; Secondhand smoke
Authors: David P Hopkins; Sima Razi; Kimberly D Leeks; Geetika Priya Kalra; Sajal K Chattopadhyay; Robin E Soler Journal: Am J Prev Med Date: 2010-02 Impact factor: 5.043
Authors: Andrew Hyland; Cheryl Higbee; Ron Borland; Mark Travers; Gerard Hastings; Geoffrey T Fong; K Michael Cummings Journal: Nicotine Tob Res Date: 2009-05-19 Impact factor: 4.244
Authors: Changbao Wu; Mary E Thompson; Geoffrey T Fong; Yuan Jiang; Yan Yang; Guoze Feng; Anne C K Quah Journal: Tob Control Date: 2014-12-30 Impact factor: 7.552
Authors: Geoffrey T Fong; Lorraine V Craig; Romain Guignard; Gera E Nagelhout; Megan K Tait; Pete Driezen; Ryan David Kennedy; Christian Boudreau; Jean-Louis Wilquin; Antoine Deutsch; François Beck Journal: Bull Epidemiol Hebd (Paris) Date: 2013-05
Authors: Changbao Wu; Mary E Thompson; Geoffrey T Fong; Qiang Li; Yuan Jiang; Yan Yang; Guoze Feng Journal: Tob Control Date: 2009-07-30 Impact factor: 7.552
Authors: Genevieve Sansone; Geoffrey T Fong; Gang Meng; Lorraine V Craig; Steve S Xu; Anne C K Quah; Janine Ouimet; Yumiko Mochizuki; Itsuro Yoshimi; Takahiro Tabuchi Journal: Int J Environ Res Public Health Date: 2020-02-04 Impact factor: 3.390
Authors: Nurul Nadia H W Luntungan; M Justin Byron; Melbourne F Hovell; Laura J Rosen; Annisa Anggraeni; Vaughan W Rees Journal: Int J Environ Res Public Health Date: 2016-09-26 Impact factor: 3.390
Authors: M Justin Byron; Joanna E Cohen; Shannon Frattaroli; Joel Gittelsohn; Jeffrey M Drope; David H Jernigan Journal: Tob Induc Dis Date: 2019-08-05 Impact factor: 2.600
Authors: Genevieve Sansone; Geoffrey T Fong; Mi Yan; Gang Meng; Lorraine Craig; Steve S Xu; Anne C K Quah; Changbao Wu; Guoze Feng; Yuan Jiang Journal: BMJ Open Date: 2019-12-11 Impact factor: 2.692