Public Place Smoke-Free Regulations, Secondhand Smoke Exposure and Related Beliefs, Awareness, Attitudes, and Practices among Chinese Urban Residents

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

Tingzhong Yang¹  Abu S. Abdullah³  Li Li¹  Ian R. H. Rockett²  Yan Lin⁴  Jun Ying⁵  Wei Guo¹  Dan Wu¹ 

[1] Center for Tobacco Control Research, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310058, China; E-Mails:;Injury Control Research Center and Department of Epidemiology (School of Public Health), West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA; E-Mail:;School of Public Health, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning 530021, China; E-Mail:;International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, Beijing 100005, China; E-Mail:;Department of Environmental Health, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45221, USA; E-Mail:

关键词: tobacco control;    smoke-free regulations;    secondhand smoke;   

DOI  :  10.3390/ijerph10062370

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

Objective: To evaluate the association between smoke-free regulations in public places and secondhand smoke exposure and related beliefs, awareness, attitudes, and behavior among urban residents in China. Methods: We selected one city (Hangzhou) as the intervention city and another (Jiaxing) as the comparison. A structured self-administered questionnaire was used for data collection, and implemented at two time points across a 20-month interval. Both unadjusted and adjusted logistic methods were considered in analyses. Multiple regression procedures were performed in examining variation between final and baseline measures. Results: Smoke-free regulations in the intervention city were associated with a significant decline in personal secondhand smoke exposure in government buildings, buses or taxis, and restaurants, but there was no change in such exposure in healthcare facilities and schools. In terms of personal smoking beliefs, awareness, attitudes, and practices, the only significant change was in giving quitting advice to proximal family members. Conclusions: There was a statistically significant association between implementation of smoke-free regulations in a city and inhibition of secondhand tobacco smoking exposure in public places. However, any such impact was limited. Effective tobacco control in China will require comprehensive laws implemented fully and supported by penalties and a combination of strong public health education.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2013 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.