Did the Tobacco Control Act Amendment in 1995 affect daily smoking in Finland? Effects of a restrictive workplace smoking policy.
BACKGROUND
This study examined changes in adult daily smoking in 1981-2005 in Finland, in order to evaluate the impact of the 1995 Tobacco Control Act Amendment (TCAA) and accompanying measures on the proportion of daily smokers. The main focus of the TCAA was to prohibit smoking at workplaces (designated rooms excluded) in order to protect workers from environmental tobacco smoke.


METHODS
The study was based on data from annual postal surveys among 15- to 64-year-olds in 1981-2005 (average response rate 73%). The data set for this study comprised men and women aged 25-64 years (n = 73 471). Logistic models were used to test the effect of the 1995 TCAA across employment status while controlling for the effect of changes in the real price of tobacco and in gross domestic product per capita, and adjusting for age, education, secular trend and prevalence of ever-smokers in each birth cohort.


RESULTS
Controlling for confounding factors, the odds ratio (OR) for daily smoking after 1995 among employed men was 0.83 (95% CI 0.73-0.94) compared with the OR (1.0) for the period ending 1994. The corresponding figure for employed women was 0.78 (95% CI 0.68-0.91). The results can be interpreted as a positive effect of the 1995 TCAA on employees' daily smoking. Moreover, a similar decrease in daily smoking was not seen among those not targeted by the TCAA (including farmers, students, housewives, pensioners and the unemployed).


CONCLUSIONS
Smoking behaviour was and can be influenced by national tobacco policy measures.
Helakorpi
Satu A
SA
National Public Health Institute KTL, Helsinki, Finland.
Martelin
Tuija P
TP
Torppa
Jorma O
JO
Patja
Kristiina M
KM
Kiiskinen
Urpo A
UA
Vartiainen
Erkki A
EA
Uutela
Antti K
AK
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland / Q000453:epidemiology; D006291:Health Policy; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015233:Models, Statistical; D016272:Occupational Health / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D016017:Odds Ratio; D016134:Organizational Policy; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D016540:Smoking Cessation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution / Q000517:prevention & control; D017132:Workplace / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D055815:Young Adult
D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution