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Workplace‐related smoking in New South Wales: extent of bans, public attitudes and relationships with relapse
Author(s) -
Walsh Raoul A.,
Paul Christine L.,
Paras Lorraine,
Stacey Fiona,
Tzelepis Flora
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
health promotion journal of australia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.515
H-Index - 32
eISSN - 2201-1617
pISSN - 1036-1073
DOI - 10.1071/he11085
Subject(s) - environmental health , tobacco control , medicine , public health , telephone interview , smoking ban , cross sectional study , health promotion , nursing , social science , pathology , sociology
Issue addressed Little research has examined issues surrounding employee smoking outside smoke‐free workplaces. The study's aims were to: 1) document the proportion of NSW indoor employees covered by total workplace smoking bans; 2) examine community perceptions of employee smoking during working hours; 3) identify the characteristics of having a supportive attitude toward tobacco control in the workplace; and 4) describe relationships between smoking relapse and workplace‐related smoking. Methods Two cross‐sectional, computer‐assisted telephone interview surveys of randomly selected adults were conducted. Consent rates were 49.1% in 2004 and 45.8% in 2006, with sample sizes of 1,158 and 2,393 respectively. Results Total workplace bans were reported by 92.9% of indoor employees. Community attitudes to smoking in working hours were highly negative: 77.7% agreed smoking breaks waste too much time and 85.1% opposed smoking near workplace doorways. Being female, born in Australia and a non‐smoker were associated with more negative attitudes. A higher proportion of smokers (78.3%) perceived smoking was more common outside their place of work or study than at five other locations: rail/bus stop (60.2%), friends' houses (59.3%), own street (35.2%), parks (34.3%), and outside school (22.6%). Of smokers making a quit attempt in the past year, 42.1% relapsed at home, 22.1% at licensed premises and 18.7% at work. Conclusions Findings emphasise the low support for smoking during or near work. Smoking outside workplaces is highly visible. Data on relapse suggest a modest relationship with workplace‐related smoking. So what? Employers and governments should capitalise on positive public opinion to ban smoking breaks and smoking near workplaces.