title: Smoking in urban outdoor public places: Behaviour, experiences, and implications for public health.
abstract: This paper identifies factors that influence where people smoke outdoors and examines the impact of smoking on people who use outdoor public places. Direct observations of smoking at 12 outdoor public places and semi-structured interviews with 35 non-smoking and smoking adults were used to gather information in Toronto, Canada, about where people smoke, and smoking related behaviours, perspectives, and experiences. Observation and interview data show that smoking at building entrances was problematic. In total, approximately 37% of smoking observed across the sites was within 9m of building entrances. Shelter, convenience, the social culture of smoking, visibility, and the presence of non-smokers were key factors that influenced where people smoked. Clearly defined rules for smoking at building entrances may allow users of public spaces to avoid tobacco smoke when entering and exiting. However, further research is needed regarding the effectiveness of outdoor restrictions and potential unintended consequences.
authors.affiliation: Ontario Tobacco Research Unit, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Canada. Pam_Kaufman@camh.net
authors.forename: Pamela
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kaufman
authors.forename: Kara
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Griffin
authors.forename: Joanna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cohen
authors.forename: Nathan
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Perkins
authors.forename: Roberta
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ferrence
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D019370:Observation; D009864:Ontario; D011634:Public Health; D012907:Smoking / Q000523:psychology*; D012919:Social Behavior; D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014504:Urban Health
chemical_list: D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution