title: Who smokes in smoke-free public places in China? Findings from a 21 city survey.
abstract: Efforts toward controlling secondhand smoke in public places have been made throughout China. However, in contrast to the western world, significant challenges remain for effectively implementing smoke-free regulations. This study explores individual and regional factors which influence smoking in smoke-free public places. Participants included 16 866 urban residents, who were identified through multi-stage sampling conducted in 21 Chinese cities. The reported smoking prevalence in smoke-free public places was 41.2%. Of those who smoked in smoke-free public places, 45.9% had been advised to stop smoking. Participants stated that no-smoking warnings/signs with 'please' in the statement had a better likelihood of gaining compliance and preventing smoking in public spaces. Multilevel logistic regression analysis showed that ethnicity, education, occupation, type of smoking, age of smoking initiation, smoking situation, stress, household smoking restrictions and city population were all associated with smoking in smoke-free public places. Interestingly local smoke-free regulations were not associated with smoking in public places. The findings underscore that efforts to restrict smoking in public places in China should emphasize strong enforcement, while simultaneously raising public awareness of the perils of second hand smoke.
authors.affiliation: Center for Tobacco Control Research, Zhejiang University, School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310058, China, Tingzhongyang@zju.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Tingzhong
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Center for Tobacco Control Research, Zhejiang University, School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310058, China.
authors.forename: Shuhan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.affiliation: Department of Geography, University of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Ross
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Barnett
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, University of British Columbia, Vancouver V6T 1Z3, Canada.
authors.forename: John L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Oliffe
authors.affiliation: Center for Tobacco Control Research, Zhejiang University, School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310058, China.
authors.forename: Dan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Department of Sociology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA and.
authors.forename: Xiaozhao
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Center for Tobacco Control Research, Zhejiang University, School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310058, China.
authors.forename: Lingwei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.affiliation: Public Health Studies Program, School of Health and Applied Human Sciences, University of North Carolina, Wilmington, NC 28403, USA.
authors.forename: Randall R
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Cottrell
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D002947:Cities; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011633:Public Facilities; D061845:Smoke-Free Policy; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology*; D000074606:Smoking Prevention; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution / Q000517:prevention & control; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution