title: Workplace-related smoking in New South Wales: extent of bans, public attitudes and relationships with relapse.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Little research has examined issues surrounding employee smoking outside smoke-free workplaces. The study's aims were to: 1) document the proportion of NSW indoor employees covered by total workplace smoking bans; 2) examine community perceptions of employee smoking during working hours; 3) identify the characteristics of having a supportive attitude toward tobacco control in the workplace; and 4) describe relationships between smoking relapse and workplace-related smoking.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two cross-sectional, computer-assisted telephone interview surveys of randomly selected adults were conducted. Consent rates were 49.1% in 2004 and 45.8% in 2006, with sample sizes of 1,158 and 2,393 respectively.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Total workplace bans were reported by 92.9% of indoor employees. Community attitudes to smoking in working hours were highly negative: 77.7% agreed smoking breaks waste too much time and 85.1% opposed smoking near workplace doorways. Being female, born in Australia and a non-smoker were associated with more negative attitudes. A higher proportion of smokers (78.3%) perceived smoking was more common outside their place of work or study than at five other locations: rail/bus stop (60.2%), friends' houses (59.3%), own street (35.2%), parks (34.3%), and outside school (22.6%). Of smokers making a quit attempt in the past year, 42.1% relapsed at home, 22.1% at licensed premises and 18.7% at work.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Findings emphasise the low support for smoking during or near work. Smoking outside workplaces is highly visible. Data on relapse suggest a modest relationship with workplace-related smoking.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Health Research & Psycho-oncology, The-Cancer Council New South Wales/University of Newcastle and-Hunter Medical Research lnstitute. Raoul.Walsh@newcastle.edu.au
authors.forename: Raoul A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Walsh
authors.forename: Christine L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Paul
authors.forename: Lorraine
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Paras
authors.forename: Fiona
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Stacey
authors.forename: Flora
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Tzelepis
mesh_terms: D016902:Air Pollution, Indoor / Q000517:prevention & control; D001294:Attitude to Health; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009517:New South Wales; D016134:Organizational Policy; D012008:Recurrence; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000523:psychology*; D016540:Smoking Cessation; D000074606:Smoking Prevention; D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000517:prevention & control*; D017132:Workplace / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence
chemical_list: D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution