Key result
Support for smoke-free policies is comparable between smokers and non-smokers, tracking secondhand smoke harm awareness.
Why the study?
Levels of support for comprehensive smoke-free policies in major Chinese cities without such policies were not well characterized.
Cross-Sectional (n=6,085)
Yes
There is considerable support for smoke-free policies among both smokers and non-smokers in major Chinese cities, which is positively associated with knowledge of secondhand smoke harms.
May guide education on secondhand smoke harms to boost policy support; leaves open causality and generalizability beyond cross-sectional data.
OBJECTIVE: To examine levels of support for comprehensive smoke-free policies in six large Chinese cities. METHODS: Data from Wave 1 of the International Tobacco Control (ITC) China Survey (April-August 2006) were analysed. The ITC China Survey employed a multistage sampling design in Beijing, Shenyang, Shanghai, Changsha, Guangzhou and Yinchuan (none of which has comprehensive smoke-free policies in place). Face-to-face interviews were conducted with 4815 smokers and 1270 non-smokers. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to identify factors associated with support for comprehensive smoke-free policies. RESULTS: About one in two Chinese urban smokers and four in five non-smokers believed that secondhand smoke (SHS) causes lung cancer. The majority of respondents supported comprehensive smoke-free policies in hospitals, schools and public transport vehicles while support for smoke-free workplaces, restaurants and bars was lower. Levels of support were generally comparable between smokers and non-smokers. Support for comprehensive smoke-free policies was positively associated with knowledge about the harm of SHS. Respondents who worked in a smoke-free worksite or who frequented smoke-free indoor entertainment places were more likely to support comprehensive smoking restriction in bars and restaurants. CONCLUSION: Considerable support for smoke-free policies exists in these six large cities in China. Greater public education about the dangers of SHS may further increase support. Experiencing the benefits of smoke-free indoor entertainment places and/or workplaces increases support for these policies and suggests that some initial smoke-free policy implementation may hasten the diffusion of these public health policies.
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Li et al. (2009) conducted a cross-sectional in Smoking (n=6,085). Smoking status and knowledge of secondhand smoke harm vs. Non-smokers and lack of knowledge was evaluated on Support for comprehensive smoke-free policies. Support for comprehensive smoke-free policies was comparable between smokers and non-smokers, and was positively associated with knowledge about the harm of secondhand smoke.