Outdoor smoke-free regulations may achieve majority public support — even among smokers — in the U.S. and Canada, according to a study in the journal Tobacco Control, a BMJ publication.
Researchers analyzed population-based surveys of the adult populations in these countries from 1993 to 2014. They found support for smoke-free regulations in outdoor places tended to be highest for smoke-free school grounds (57 to 95 percent), playgrounds (89 to 91 percent) and building entrances (45 to 89 percent). Support was lowest for outdoor workplaces (12 to 46 percent) and sidewalks (31 to 49 percent).
Although support for smoke-free regulations was lower among self-identified smokers than nonsmokers, even a majority of smokers (77 percent) favored regulations for school grounds. Overall support for smoke-free school grounds grew between 2002 and 2008, from 67 to 78 percent.
Smoking is a major public health issue in the United States and has increasingly gained attention from hospitals in the country. For instance, Houston-based Memorial Hermann Health System recently participated in the city's Smoking Cessation Awareness Week campaign.
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