Voluntary Smoke-Free Home Rules and Exposure to Secondhand Smoke in Poland: A National Cross-Sectional Survey

Abstract

Smoke-free policies have been shown to significantly reduce secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure in private and public places. The objectives of this study were to: (1) to assess the prevalence and characteristics of voluntary smoke-free home rules in Poland; and (2) assess the association of smoke-free rules with self-reported SHS exposure in private homes. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in September 2019 with a nationally representative sample of 1011 individuals aged 15 and over. Nationally, 66.1% of individuals had a 100% smoke-free home rule (78.9% of non-smokers and 18.6% of smokers; p < 0.001), while a further 24.6% had adopted a partial home smoking rule. SHS exposure in the home during past month was reported by 6.1% of respondents (11.5% of smokers and 4.5% of non-smokers; p < 0.001). The lowest level of SHS exposure (1.8%) was observed among respondents who had implemented a full smoke-free home rule. Non-smokers had higher odds of having adopted a total smoke-free home rule compared with smokers (aOR: 19.17; 95% CI: 12.89–28.50). Moreover, non-smokers had lower odds (aOR: 0.35; 95% CI: 0.20–0.61; p < 0.001) of self-reporting SHS smoke exposure at home. Although two-thirds of the Polish population have adopted a full smoke-free home rule in their homes, smokers continue to lag in adoption rates relative to non-smokers.

Beliefs of parents in Kuwait about thirdhand smoke and its relation to home smoking rules: A cross-sectional study

“…The prevalence of strict home smoking bans in the current report (42.0%) was lower than prior studies’ prevalence, with the enforcement of voluntary strict home smoking bans reported to be 61% in homes in Italy 38 , 50% in homes in the United States 35 , and 66.1% in homes in Poland 39 . Similarly, a study based on data from four countries, namely, Canada (67.8%), the United States (60.2%), England (59.2%), and Australia (66.2%), reported higher prevalence of strict home smoking bans than our study 40 .…”

“…Moreover, we observed that younger parents aged 18–34 years were less likely to implement a strict home smoking rule than older parents. This observation of an association between age and implantation of a smoke-free home rule was not observed in prior studies 23 , 39 . Furthermore, our results illustrated that subjects who received higher education (i.e.…”

“…In agreement with our findings, the observation of a higher prevalence of smoke-free homes among non-smokers than among smokers has been widely reported. For instance, compared to smokers, non-smokers reported a higher prevalence of smoker-free homes in the United States (88.4% vs 26.7%) 23 , Poland (78.9% vs 18.6%) 39 , Italy (69% vs 32%) 38 , South Africa (71.3% vs 25.9%) 42 , Spain (72.0% vs 28.4%) 41 , and China (81.7% vs 19.3%) 44 . An important observation is that 49.1% of never smokers in our study sample reported a strict home smoking ban, which is much less than the prevalence of smoke-free homes among non-smokers in other settings.…”

“…For example, based on the aforementioned studies, 88.4% of non-smokers in the United States reported smoke-free home rules 23 . Similarly, 78.9% of non-smokers living in Poland reported smoker-free home rules 39 . Hence, increasing the awareness of non-smokers about the adverse effects of SHS and THS exposure may help increase the prevalence of smoke-free homes in Kuwait.…”

Perception of Harmfulness of Various Tobacco Products and E-Cigarettes in Poland: A Nationwide Cross-Sectional Survey

“…This study showed that more than half of respondents were not concerned about the harmful effect of passive smoking on their health. It is estimated that only two-thirds of the Polish population has adopted a total smoke-free home rule [30]. Despite the implementation of the smoking ban in most public places, 11.7% of adults in Poland are exposed to secondhand smoke in public transport stops and facilities, and 6.7% are exposed to secondhand smoke in the workplace [30].…”