title: Levels of second hand smoke in pubs and bars by deprivation and food-serving status: a cross-sectional study from North West England.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The UK government proposed introducing partial smokefree legislation for England with exemptions for pubs and bars that do not prepare and serve food. We set out to test the hypothesis that pubs from more deprived areas and non food-serving pubs have higher levels of particulate air pollution.
  
  
  METHODS
  We conducted a cross sectional study in four mainly urban areas of the North West of England. We recruited a stratified random sample of 64 pubs divided into four groups based on whether their local population was affluent or deprived (using a UK area based deprivation measure), and whether or not they served food. The timing of air quality monitoring stratified to ensure similar distribution of monitoring by day of the week and time of evening between groups. We used a portable air quality monitor to collect fine particle (PM2.5) levels over a minimum of 30 minutes in areas where smoking was allowed,, and calculated mean time-time weighted average PM2.5 levels.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mean PM2.5 was 285.5 microg/m3 (95% CI 212.7 to 358.3). Mean levels in the four groups were: affluent food-serving pubs (n = 16) 188.1 microg/m3 (95%CI 128.1 to 248.1); affluent non food-serving (n = 16) 186.8 microg/m3 (95%CI 118.9 to 254.3); deprived food-serving (n = 17) 399.4 microg/m3 (95%CI 177.7 to 621.2); and deprived non food-serving (n = 15) 365.7 microg/m3 (195.6 to 535.7). Levels were higher in pubs in deprived communities: mean 383.6 microg/m3 (95% CI 249.2 to 518.0) vs 187.4 microg/m3 (144.8 to 229.9); geometric mean 245.2 microg/m3 vs 151.2 microg/m3 (p = 0.03). There was little difference in particulate levels between food and non food-serving pubs.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study adds to the evidence that the UK government's proposals for partial smokefree legislation in England would offer the least protection to the most heavily exposed group--bar workers and customers in non food-serving pubs in deprived areas. The results suggest these proposals would work against the UK government's stated aim to reduce health inequalities.
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, Wellington School of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Otago, Wellington, New Zealand. Richard.Edwards@otago.ac.nz
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Edwards
authors.forename: Christian P
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Hasselholdt
authors.forename: Kim
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hargreaves
authors.forename: Claire
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Probert
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Holford
authors.forename: Judy
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hart
authors.forename: Martie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Van Tongeren
authors.forename: Adrian F R
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Watson
mesh_terms: D016902:Air Pollution, Indoor / Q000032:analysis* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004739:England; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000032:analysis* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D005522:Food Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D011204:Poverty Areas; D011998:Recreation; D012147:Restaurants / Q000145:classification / Q000592:standards*; D012494:Sampling Studies; D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution / Q000032:analysis* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014505:Urban Population; D035862:Vulnerable Populations
chemical_list: D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution