title: Comparative impact of smoke-free legislation on smoking cessation in three European countries.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Little is known about the differential impact of comprehensive and partial smoke-free legislation on smoking cessation. This study aimed to examine the impact of comprehensive smoke-free workplace legislation in Ireland and England, and partial hospitality industry legislation in the Netherlands on quit attempts and quit success.
  
  
  METHODS
  Nationally representative samples of 2,219 adult smokers were interviewed in three countries as part of the International Tobacco Control (ITC) Europe Surveys. Quit attempts and quit success were compared between period 1 (in which smoke-free legislation was implemented in Ireland and the Netherlands) and period 2 (in which smoke-free legislation was implemented in England).
  
  
  RESULTS
  In Ireland, significantly more smokers attempted to quit smoking in period 1 (50.5%) than in period 2 (36.4%) (p < 0.001). Percentages of quit attempts and quit success did not change significantly between periods in the Netherlands. English smokers were significantly more often successful in their quit attempt in period 2 (47.3%) than in period 1 (26.4%) (p = 0.011). In the first period there were more quit attempts in Ireland than in England and fewer in the Netherlands than in Ireland. Fewer smokers quitted successfully in the second period in both Ireland and the Netherlands than in England.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The comprehensive smoke-free legislation in Ireland and England may have had positive effects on quit attempts and quit success respectively. The partial smoke-free legislation in the Netherlands probably had no effect on quit attempts or quit success. Therefore, it is recommended that countries implement comprehensive smoke-free legislation.
authors.affiliation: Maastricht University, CAPHRI, The Netherlands. gnagelhout@stivoro.nl
authors.forename: Gera E
authors.initials: GE
authors.lastname: Nagelhout
authors.forename: Hein
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: de Vries
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Boudreau
authors.forename: Shane
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Allwright
authors.forename: Ann
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: McNeill
authors.forename: Bas
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: van den Putte
authors.forename: Geoffrey T
authors.initials: GT
authors.lastname: Fong
authors.forename: Marc C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Willemsen
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001294:Attitude to Health; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D004739:England / Q000453:epidemiology; D005060:Europe; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007494:Ireland / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009426:Netherlands / Q000453:epidemiology; D012107:Research Design; D016540:Smoking Cessation / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence* / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D017132:Workplace / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D055815:Young Adult