First author [ref.], country, year | Legislation | Study population | Effect on exposure | Effect on health/attitudes |
Heloma [12], Finland, 2003
| March 1995 reformed tobacco-control legislation in Finland implemented nationally smoke-free workplaces (prohibition or designated, separately ventilated smoking spaces); legislation on smoke-free bars and restaurants came into effect in 2000 | Nine large or middle-sized workplaces representing industry, service sector and offices in both private and public sectors; 880 employees in 1994–1995 (before new act), 940 in 1995–1996 (1 yr after law) and 659 in 1993 (3 yrs after law, eight workplaces) | Daily ETS at work | Exposed % | Preferred smk policy at work | Supporters % |
| 1994–1995 | 1995–1996 | 1998 | Nonsmokers | 1994–1995 | 1995–1996 | 1998 |
No | 20.7 | 54.2 | 70.7 | Complete ban | 36.0 | 40.7 | 51.5 |
<1 h | 28.8 | 28.6 | 17.5 | Designated smk areas only | 54.2 | 51.7 | 44.4 |
1–4 h | 17.7 | 9.0 | 8.4 | Allowed/no restrictions | 9.8 | 7.6 | 4.0 |
>4 h | 32.9 | 8.2 | 3.4 | | (p<0.0001) |
| | (p<0.0001) | | Smokers | | | |
| | | | Complete ban | 6.9 | 8.8 | 15.3 |
| | | | Designated smk areas only | 58.5 | 61.3 | 73.3 |
| | | | Allowed/no restrictions; | 34.6 | 29.9 | 11.3 |
| | | | | (p<0.0001) |
1) Weber [14], California, USA, 2003
| January 1995 statewide, smoke-free workplace legislation in California, USA; January 1998 statewide legislation on smoke-free bars and taverns | 1) Annual cross-sectional survey since 1998 of 8–10% of the 9,000 Los Angeles County bars and restaurants with an alcohol licence; | 1) Compliance with smoke-free law % | 1) 1998 | 2002 | p-value | 2) | Baseline | Follow-up |
Bars/restaurants | | | | Upper respiratory symptoms % | 74 | 32# |
Employees | 96.5 | 99.2 | 0.0047 | Lower respiratory symptoms % | 77 | 19# |
Patrons | 92.2 | 98.5 | 0.0001 | FEV1 L·s−1 | 3.38 | 3.42 |
Freestanding bars | | | | FVC L | 4.43 | 4.62# |
Employees | 86.2 | 94.7 | 0.0003 | | | |
Patrons | 45.7 | 75.8 | 0.0001 | | | |
2) Eisner [15], California, USA, 1998
| 2) Fifty-three bartenders in San Francisco bars or taverns examined 1 month before and after the 1998 law came into effect | 2) Median self-reported ETS exposure at work declined from 28 h to 2 h-week−1 (p<0.001) | | | | | | |
Sargent [16], Montana, USA, 2004
| Smoke-free workplace legislation in Helena, MT, USA, from June 5 to December 3, 2002. Helena is a geographically isolated community with a population of 68140. | Comparison of the number of monthly hospital admissions for acute myocardial infarction during the law (June-November 2002) with admissions during a similar 6-month period before (1998–2001) and after (2003) the law in Helena. Also comparison with admissions in communities outside Helena. | No direct assessment of exposure. The city-county health department reported that all but two businesses complied with the law in Helena. | Admissions for acute myocardial infarction during June–November |
| Helena | Outside Helena |
Ordinance in 2002 | 24 | 18 |
Other years (1998–2001, 2003) | 40 | 12.4 |
Difference (95% Cl) | -16 (-31.7– -0.3) | 5.6 (-5.2–16.4) |
Helena difference–not Helena difference (95% Cl) | -21.6 (-40.6– −2.6) |
Allwright [17], Republic of Ireland (RI), 2005
| March 2004 national smoke-free workplace legislation, including pubs and restaurants; no allowance for designated smoking spaces | 249 bar staff (including 158 nonsmokers) recruited from three areas in RI and one area in Northern Ireland (NI), who gave saliva sample and answered a questionnaire pre-legislation (September 2003–March 2004) and post-legislation (September 2004–March 2005) | | Pre-law | Post-law | p-value | Adjusted rate ratios (95% Cl) |
Salivary cotinine nmol-L−1 | | Pre-law | Post-law |
Rl | 29.0 | 5.1 | <0.001 | Respiratory symptoms |
Nl | 25.3 | 20.4 | 0.05 | Rl | 1.33 (1.14–1.54) | 0.98 (0.83–1.16)# |
Hours exposed at work in 7 days | Nl | 0.67 (0.39–1.17) | 0.83 (0.50–1.36)¶ |
Rl | 40 | 0 | <0.001 | Sensory symptoms |
Nl | 42 | 40 | 0.02 | Rl | 1.19 (1.02–1.39) | 0.69 (0.57–0.85)# |
Hours exposed outside work in 7 days | Nl | 1.09 (0.75–1.56) | 0.65 (0.44–0.97)¶ |
Rl | 4 | 0 | <0.001 | | | | |
Nl | 0 | 2.5 | 0.41 | | | | |