Description of Strategy
Clean indoor air laws are comprised of smoking bans and restrictions. These laws prohibit smoking in geographically defined areas such as enclosed workplaces, public places, bars, and/or restaurants (Guide to Community Preventive Services, 2000). Laws prohibiting smoking in confined spaces have been gaining strength since the 1970s when the first bans on indoor smoking were enacted. By 2003, municipalities in every state had enacted policies limiting or banning smoking in certain locations, including some outdoor spaces.
Wyoming does not have a statewide ban on smoking in enclosed workplaces, but 25 communities have enacted some form of smoking ban policy (American Nonsmokers’ Rights Foundation, 2017).
Also known as...
social action on secondhand smoke, target a business to go smoke-free
Discussion of Effectiveness
Tobacco
Evidence suggests clean indoor air laws are an effective strategy for reducing exposure to secondhand smoke (The Community Guide, 2012; University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute; 2016). Indoor air laws improve health by reducing coronary events, asthma attacks, and hospitalizations (University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute; 2016). Home bans were found to be more effective at reducing teenage smoking initiation than either public or school bans (Wakefield, 2000).
A study (Eriksen & Chaloupka, 2007) and a systematic review (The Community Guide, 2012) determined smoke-free policies also reduce the prevalence of tobacco use, increase the number of tobacco users who quit, reduce youth tobacco initiation, and tobacco-related morbidity.