Pennsylvania's New Approach to Addressing Secondhand Smoke Exposure in Multi-Unit Housing

Background:  With approximately 40 million Americans living in multi-unit housing (MUH), secondhand smoke exposure is a major concern.  Eliminating smoking at home is an essential step towards preventing exposure across ages.  In 2013, Pennsylvania’s (PA) Tobacco Prevention and Control Program, administered by the PA Department of Health, implemented a standardized smoke free MUH initiative.  The Division of Tobacco Prevention and Control (DTPC) identified public housing as the focus of the initiative and encouraged policy work at the county and regional levels to maximize impact.

Methods: Standard reporting measures were created to capture policy-focused activities and resulting impacts.  Measures include, but are not limited to: type of MUH site, level of policy coverage, and total individuals/units covered.  The new reporting tool captures both completed and ongoing policy work.  The PA Free Quitline also asks if clients live in public housing.

Results: Preliminary data from fall/winter 2013 indicate more than 21,200 individuals are affected by new smoke free MUH policies.  DTPC contractors worked with housing authorities and individual property owners and managers to change policies at the building, city and county levels.  Other regions are in ongoing discussions with sites and/or their governing bodies regarding smoke free policies.  This presentation will measure the initial impact of PA’s standardized initiative and discuss examples of successful implementation of smoke free MUH policies, challenges encountered, and recommendations for future policy work.

Conclusions: Coordinated county and regional smoke free MUH policy work is an important and effective step towards reducing secondhand smoke exposure at home.