Clean Indoor Air in Pennsylvania Restaurants and Bars: Support, but Not Action

Background: Exposure to secondhand smoke is the third leading contributing cause of mortality in the U.S. In Pennsylvania's hospitality industry inadequate regulations exists to protect employees from secondhand smoke exposure. The purpose of this study was to understand the opinions and practices related to secondhand smoke of bar and restaurant owners in Southeastern Pennsylvania.

Methods: A random sample of 2,000 facilities in southeastern Pennsylvania was drawn, stratified and weighted by county, from the Department of Licensing and Revenue's database of licenses bards and restaurants. Surveys were administered via telephone and mailings to maximize response rates.

Results: Contact information for 1,478 restaurant and bars were valid; 104 telephone and 437 mailed surveys were completed for a 36.6% response rate. Most respondents (58%) support a statewide clean indoor air workplace law; 17% of bar/tavern owners support such a policy as compared to 67% of other business owners. Bar/tavern owners also favor the opportunity to purchase an exemption permit (56% vs. 34%) and exclusions for ventilation systems (63% vs. 37%) compared to other businesses. Among workplaces that prohibited smoking 70% of establishments support a statewide policy, 52% of establishments that designated smoking areas support a statewide policy, and 32% of establishments that permit smoking anywhere support a statewide policy.

Conclusion: Despite support for clean indoor air from owners and employees, businesses continue to fear loss of revenue and customers and have not adopted non-smoking policies. Additional education is needed to address the concerns of business owners and make their non-smoking preferences into policy.