Impact of smoke-free air policies on young smokers' demand for smoking cessation treatment

This study investigated the combined effects of smoke-free air ordinances---state, local, and private bans---on older adolescent and young adult smokers' demand for cessation interventions, as they age, recycle through quit attempts, and transition from school to the workforce. The study merged individual behavior data from the National Youth Smoking Cessation Survey (NYSCS) with two smoke-free air policy databases: the American Nonsmokers' Rights Foundation Local Tobacco Control Ordinance Database and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation ImpacTeen State Tobacco Control Policy Database. The NYSCS is a 2 year nationally representative longitudinal study of smokers aged 16 to 24 years. We conducted baseline (N=2,582), 12 month (N=1,696), and 24 month follow-up (n=1,431) telephone interviews. A smoke-free air index was constructed for each respondent's locale that measured the presence of a total ban, qualified ban or neither. A qualified ban allowed exemptions for only separately ventilated smoking rooms and establishment size. We used a multivariate model to study the relationships between cessation behaviors and the strength of smoke-free air indices. Results: At 24 month follow-up, the presence of a complete ban on smoking across workplaces, restaurants, and bars increased the probability of 30-day abstinence. Stronger smoke-free air laws also increased the likelihood of smoking fewer days per month. Results of this study suggest that smoke-free air laws are an effective policy tool for reducing the adverse health impact of smoking by increasing quit rates and by reducing smoking intensity among those smokers who haven't yet quit.