Religiosity and opinions about smoking policies

The relationships of religiosity and church attendance with opinions about policies regulating cigarette smoking were examined using data from the 2006 Iowa Adult Tobacco Survey (Lutz, Gonnerman, Park & Collingwood, 2007). Survey data were collected from 1,950 adult Iowans via Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing (CATI) by the Center for Social and Behavioral Research (CSBR) at the University of Northern Iowa. A complex design was used; therefore, the data were weighted prior to analysis. The sample was predominately White (96%) and Christian (63% Protestant and 26% Catholic) which was consistent with Iowa's demographics. Opinions about whether cigarette smoking should be prohibited in public places, such as restaurants and bars, varied with religiosity and attendance of religious services. Adult Iowans with higher levels of religiosity and higher levels of attendance generally preferred more restrictive policies about smoking in public places. Religiosity and attendance of a religious service during the past 30 days were related to opinions about whether local or state government should be allowed to regulate smoking in restaurants. The majority of adults who considered themselves religious and those who attended at least one religious service favored local control; conversely, the majority of those who did not consider themselves religious and did not attend a religious service favored state control. These findings can be used in discussions about how to frame tobacco control policies and in understanding how religious beliefs and practices can impact public support for public health initiatives and interventions.