Public health and therapeutic aspects of smoking bans in mental health and addiction settings.
OBJECTIVE
Health care facilities are increasingly implementing policies that ban smoking. A concern has been raised that these policies may have a negative impact on smokers who are mentally ill or substance dependent. The authors conducted a literature review to analyze the relevant empirical evidence.


METHODS
Major health care databases were searched. Major search terms included smoking, smoking cessation, nicotine, health policy, hospital policy, smoke-free policy, psychiatric disorders, and substance use disorders. The search was limited to empirical studies, which were analyzed on the basis of design, the behavioral indicators monitored, and the results of questionnaires.


CONCLUSIONS
A total of 22 investigations of the impact of total or partial smoking bans suggest that the policies have had no major longstanding untoward effect in terms of behavioral indicators of unrest or compliance. However, the policies appear to have had little or no effect on smoking cessation. Smoking cessation strategies should be an inherent component of policies that ban smoking.
El-Guebaly
Nady
N
Foothills Hospital Addiction Centre, Calgary Regional Health Authority, 1403 Twenty-ninth Street N.W., Calgary, Alberta T2N 2T9, Canada. nady.el-guebaly@calgaryhealthregion.ca
Cathcart
Janice
J
Currie
Shawn
S
Brown
Diane
D
Gloster
Susan
S
D019992:Databases as Topic; D006291:Health Policy; D006801:Humans; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration; D011634:Public Health; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology; D016540:Smoking Cessation / Q000379:methods*; D000074606:Smoking Prevention; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires