title: The effect of workplace smoking bans on heart rate variability and pulse wave velocity of non-smoking hospitality workers.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the effect of a change in second-hand smoke (SHS) exposure on heart rate variability (HRV) and pulse wave velocity (PWV), this study utilized a quasi-experimental setting when a smoking ban was introduced.
  
  
  METHODS
  HRV, a quantitative marker of autonomic activity of the nervous system, and PWV, a marker of arterial stiffness, were measured in 55 non-smoking hospitality workers before and 3-12 months after a smoking ban and compared to a control group that did not experience an exposure change. SHS exposure was determined with a nicotine-specific badge and expressed as inhaled cigarette equivalents per day (CE/d).
  
  
  RESULTS
  PWV and HRV parameters significantly changed in a dose-dependent manner in the intervention group as compared to the control group. A one CE/d decrease was associated with a 2.3% (95% CI 0.2-4.4; p = 0.031) higher root mean square of successive differences (RMSSD), a 5.7% (95% CI 0.9-10.2; p = 0.02) higher high-frequency component and a 0.72% (95% CI 0.40-1.05; p < 0.001) lower PWV.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  PWV and HRV significantly improved after introducing smoke-free workplaces indicating a decreased cardiovascular risk.
authors: Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Socinstrasse 57, 4051, Basel, Switzerland.
authors: Sarah
authors: S
authors: Rajkumar
authors: Arno
authors: A
authors: Schmidt-Trucksäss
authors: Gregory A
authors: GA
authors: Wellenius
authors: Georg F
authors: GF
authors: Bauer
authors: Cong Khanh
authors: CK
authors: Huynh
authors: Alexander
authors: A
authors: Moeller
authors: Martin
authors: M
authors: Röösli
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D016272:Occupational Health; D011446:Prospective Studies; D063177:Pulse Wave Analysis; D012147:Restaurants; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D061845:Smoke-Free Policy; D016540:Smoking Cessation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013557:Switzerland; D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D017132:Workplace / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
chemical_list: D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution