Fact Sheet

Smoke-Free Policies Reduce Smoking

(October 2006)

Among Adults

Workplace smoking restrictions lead to less smoking among employees.¹
Smoking bans and restrictions in workplaces lead to reductions in daily consumption of cigarettes and increases in tobacco use cessation among workers.²
A 2002 review of 26 studies concluded that a complete smoking ban in the workplace reduces smoking prevalence among employees by 3.8% and daily cigarette consumption by 3.1 cigarettes among employees who continue to smoke.³
A study conducted in 20 U.S. and 2 Canadian communities found that employees who worked in workplaces that maintained or changed to smoke-free policies between 1993 and 2001 were nearly twice as likely to have stopped smoking by 2001 as employees who worked in workplaces that allowed smoking everywhere.⁴
Smoking prevalence among New York City adults decreased by 11% (approximately 140,000 fewer smokers) from 2002 to 2003 following the implementation of a comprehensive municipal smoke-free law, a cigarette excise tax increase, a media campaign, and a cessation initiative involving the distribution of free nicotine replacement therapy.⁵

Among Youth

By challenging the perception of smoking as a normal adult behavior, smoke-free policies can change the attitudes and behaviors of adolescents, resulting in a reduction in tobacco use initiation.²
A national study found that adolescents who work in smoke-free workplaces are significantly less likely to be smokers than adolescents who work in workplaces with no smoking restrictions or a partial work-area smoking ban.⁶
A Massachusetts study found that, compared to youth who live in towns with weak restaurant smoking restrictions, youth living in towns with laws making restaurants smoke-free were less than half as likely to progress to established smoking.⁷

References

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke: A Report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta, Georgia: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Coordinating Center for Health Promotion, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health, 2006 [cited 2006 Oct 23]. Available from: http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/sgr/sgr_2006/index.htm.
Task Force on Community Preventive Services. The Guide to Community Preventive Services: What Works to Promote Health? New York, New York: Oxford University Press, 2005 [cited 2006 Oct 23].
Fichtenberg CM, Glantz SA. Effect of Smoke-Free Workplaces on Smoking Behaviour: Systematic Review. British Medical Journal. 2002;325:188 [cited 2006 Oct 23].
Bauer JE, Hyland A, Li Q, Steger C, Cummings KM. A Longitudinal Assessment of the Impact of Smoke-Free Worksite Policies on Tobacco Use. American Journal of Public Health. 2005;95(6):1024–1029 [cited 2006 Oct 23].
Frieden TR, Mostashari F, Kerker BD, Miller N, Hajat A, Frankel M. Adult Tobacco Use Levels After Intensive Tobacco Control Measures: New York City, 2002-2003. American Journal of Public Health. 2005;95(6):1016–1023 [cited 2006 Oct 23].
Farkas AJ, Gilpin EA, White MM, Pierce JP. Association Between Household and Workplace Smoking Restrictions and Adolescent Smoking. Journal of the American Medical Association. 2000; 284(6):717–722 [cited 2006 Oct 23].
Siegel M, Albers AB, Cheng DM, Biener L, Rigotti NA. Effect of Local Restaurant Smoking Regulations on Progression to Established Smoking Among Youths. Tobacco Control. 2005;14(5):300–6 [cited 2006 Oct 23].

For Further Information

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion
Office on Smoking and Health
E-mail: tobaccoinfo@cdc.gov
Phone: 1-800-CDC-INFO

Media Inquiries: Contact CDC's Office on Smoking and Health press line at 770-488-5493.

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Page last reviewed 02/28/2007
Page last modified 02/28/2007

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