title: Individual, social, and environmental factors associated with support for smoke-free housing policies among subsidized multiunit housing tenants.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Mandatory smoke-free policies in subsidized, multiunit housing (MUH) may decrease secondhand smoke exposure in households with the highest rates of exposure. Ideally, policies should be based on a strong understanding of factors affecting support for smoke-free policies in the target population to maximize effectiveness.
  
  
  METHODS
  A face-to-face survey was conducted from August to October 2011 using a stratified random sample of private subsidized housing units in Columbus, OH, without an existing smoke-free policy (n = 301, 64% response rate). Lease holders were asked to report individual, social, and environmental factors hypothesized to be related to support for smoke-free policies. Multiple logistic regression models were used to identify factors independently associated with policy support.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Most tenants supported smoke-free policies in common areas (82.7%), half supported policies inside units (54.5%), and one third supported a ban outside the building (36.3%). Support for smoke-free policies in units and outdoors was more common among nonsmokers than smokers (71.5% vs. 35.7%, p < .001 and 46.2% vs. 25.4%, p < .001, respectively). Several individual and social, but no environmental, factors were independently associated with policy support. Smokers who intended to quit within 6 months or less were more likely than other smokers to support in-unit policies (45.3% vs. 21.1%; p = .003).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  More than half of subsidized MUH tenants supported smoke-free policies inside their units. Strategies to address individual- and social-level barriers to behavior change should be implemented in parallel with smoke-free policies. Policies should be evaluated with objective measures to determine their effectiveness.
authors.affiliation: The Ohio State University College of Public Health, Health Behavior & Health Promotion, Columbus, OH 48106-1248, USA. hoodnanc@umich.edu
authors.forename: Nancy E
authors.initials: NE
authors.lastname: Hood
authors.forename: Amy K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Ferketich
authors.forename: Elizabeth G
authors.initials: EG
authors.lastname: Klein
authors.forename: Mary Ellen
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Wewers
authors.forename: Phyllis
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Pirie
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003625:Data Collection; D003710:Demography; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006798:Housing / Q000191:economics / Q000592:standards; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D009820:Ohio; D016134:Organizational Policy; D061845:Smoke-Free Policy / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D000074606:Smoking Prevention; D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000517:prevention & control*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution