Smoking bans: influence on smoking prevalence.

OBJECTIVES

This article reports trends in smoking prevalence and smoking restrictions in Canada since 2000, and examines associations between home and workplace restrictions and smoking cessation.

DATA SOURCES

Data are from the Canadian Tobacco Use Monitoring Survey and the longitudinal component of the National Population Health Survey.

ANALYTICAL TECHNIQUES

Trends in smoking prevalence and smoking restrictions were calculated. Associations between home and workplace smoking restrictions and smoking cessation were examined in the context of the Transtheoretical Model, which proposes that smokers go through five distinct stages in attempting to quit. The likelihood of current and former smokers being at specific stages was studied in relation to smoking restrictions at home and at work. Longitudinal data were used to determine if home and workplace smoking restrictions were predictors of quitting over a two-year period.

MAIN RESULTS

Since 2000, Canadians smokers have faced a growing number of restrictions on where they can smoke. Bans at home and at work were associated with a reduced likelihood of being in the initial "stages of change," and an increased likelihood of being in the latter stages. Smokers who reported newly smoke-free homes or workplaces were more likely to quit over the next two years, compared with those who did not encounter such restrictions at home or at work.