Impact of institutional smoking bans on reducing harms and secondhand smoke exposure

Abstract

We found evidence of an effect of settings-based smoking policies on reducing smoking rates in hospitals and universities. In prisons, reduced mortality rates and reduced exposure to secondhand smoke were reported. However, we rated the evidence base as low quality. We therefore need more robust studies assessing the evidence for smoking bans and policies in these important specialist settings.

Facilitators and Barriers of Smokers’ Compliance with Smoking Bans in Public Places: A Systematic Review of Quantitative and Qualitative Literature

“…For example, there is a Chinese saying that “a cigarette builds a bridge, while wine builds a road” [38]. Cigarette sharing is a common social practice in China [14,39,40], and it may influence their openness to smoke inside recreational settings even if there is a smoking ban [8]. In addition to the three levels of factors discussed above, future studies should explore and address the barriers and facilitators related to social norms and culture.…”

“…The main goals of a smoking ban in public places are to protect non-smokers from the dangers of environmental tobacco smoke and provide a supportive environment for those who want to quit smoking [6,7]. It has been well documented that smoking bans are beneficial for improving cardiovascular health outcomes and reducing smoking-related mortality [8]. Different countries have different attitudes towards the smoking bans and strategies for effective implementation.…”

American pediatric society’s 2017 John Howland award acceptance lecture: a tale of two toxicants: childhood exposure to lead and tobacco

“…There also have been tremendous increases both in understanding and addressing tobacco and its effects on child and adolescent health over the past 40 years. Both rates of prenatal tobacco and childhood SHS exposure (23)(24)(25)(26)(27) and rates of use have been identified and, in part, explicated and influences on initiation have been tracked (28,29) Multiple adverse child effects have been uncovered at the lowest levels of exposure (29)(30)(31)(32)(33) Effective practices, policies, and regulations have been discovered and implemented to greatly reduce cigarette use (34)(35)(36)(37), resulting in a profound decrease in exposure and initiation (38) Tobacco use and exposure to SHS are the leading preventable causes of morbidity and mortality in the United States and worldwide, killing more people than Tuberculosis, HIV, and Malaria combined (39,40). More than 1 billion tobacco-related deaths have taken place in this century (41), and virtually all adults start smoking before 18 years of age (28), with the mean age of initiation in the United States being 13 years (28).…”

Smoke-free policies in psychiatric hospitals need resources

“…Research on smoking bans in prisons has found some evidence that prisoners' second-hand smoke exposure decreases after partial smoking bans. Partial bans have also been shown to result in lower smoking related mortality, with some evidence that this is particularly the case for those with a diagnosed mental illness (6). Despite this, partial smoking bans in prisons have not been found to lead to a reduction in active smoking rates (6).…”

“…Partial bans have also been shown to result in lower smoking related mortality, with some evidence that this is particularly the case for those with a diagnosed mental illness (6). Despite this, partial smoking bans in prisons have not been found to lead to a reduction in active smoking rates (6). The US Supreme Court has described prisoners' exposure to second-hand smoke as a 'cruel and unusual punishment' (7) and more research on smoking bans in prison populations is needed, as is research investigating the incidence of violence after the introduction of these policies.…”