Effect of smoke-free patio policy of restaurants and bars on exposure to second-hand smoke.
OBJECTIVE
While there is increasing support for restricting smoking in restaurant and bar patios, there is limited evidence on the effectiveness of this policy. This study examined the effect of smoke-free patio policy of restaurants and bars on adult second-hand smoke (SHS) exposure.


METHODS
Data were drawn from the 2005-2012 Canadian Tobacco Use Monitoring Survey (n=89,743), a repeated cross-sectional survey of youth and adult. Regression analysis, a quasi-experimental design was used to examine the effect of provincial smoke-free patio policy on self-reported exposure to SHS.


RESULTS
Analyses suggest that exposure to SHS on patios of bars and restaurants declined following the adoption of provincial smoke-free patio policy. Relative to pre-policy SHS exposure, regression results showed a reduction in the probability of SHS exposure of up to 25% in Alberta. Similarly, in Nova Scotia, the probability of SHS exposure declined by up to 21%. Analyses stratified by smoking status found similar significant effect on both smokers and non-smokers.


CONCLUSIONS
Findings suggest that provincial patio smoking ban on bars and restaurants had the intended effect of protecting non-smokers from SHS exposure. This study is consistent with a large body of evidence showing that a strong smoke-free legislation is an effective public health measure.
Propel Centre for Population Health Impact, University of Waterloo, Canada; School of Public Health and Health Systems, University of Waterloo, Canada. Electronic address: sazagba@uwaterloo.ca.
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Azagba
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002170:Canada; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011634:Public Health; D012147:Restaurants; D061845:Smoke-Free Policy / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000517:prevention & control*; D055815:Young Adult
D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution
Environmental tobacco smoke; Outdoor patio; Passive smoking; Second-hand smoke; Smoke-free policy