Differential effects of smoke-free laws on smoking cessation behavior

The purpose is to examine the differential effects of local smoke-free laws on cessation behaviors and perceived risk of secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure among current and former smokers. It was hypothesized that: (a) smokers in smoke-free communities will be more likely to attempt to quit, smoke fewer cigarettes, and perceive more SHS risk than smokers in non smoke-free communities; and (b) the stronger the smoke-free law, the more likely smokers will be to attempt to quit and reduce cigarettes per day. Time since ordinance was examined as a factor affecting cessation behaviors. A quasi-experimental, three-group design was used to assess smoking and cessation behaviors and attitudes toward smoke-free laws among 1,100 randomly selected current and former adult smokers. Treatment Group I (n = 600) lived in communities with 100% smoke-free workplace and/or public place legislation at different times since implementation (3 years, 18 months, and 6-8 months). Treatment Group II (n = 200) lived in communities with partial smoke-free ordinances. The Control Group (n = 300) lived in communities without smoke-free legislation and which are not contiguous to a smoke-free community. Subjects participated in 10-minute telephone interviews. The initial analysis will compare cessation behaviors and perceived risk of SHS exposure between current/former smokers from communities with and without smoke-free laws. These comparisons will be made using two-sample t-tests, Mann-Whitney U tests or t-tests for proportions. The more detailed comparisons will be made using one-way analysis of variance, Wilcoxon tests, or chi-square tests of association.