Impact of smoke-free housing policy lease exemptions on compliance, enforcement and smoking behavior: A qualitative study

Abstract

This paper investigates the impacts of smoke-free housing policies on compliance, enforcement and smoking behavior. From 2012 to 2014, we studied two affordable housing providers in Canada with comprehensive smoke-free policies: Waterloo Regional Housing that required new leases to be non-smoking and exempted existing leases, and Yukon Housing Corporation that required all leases (existing and new) to be non-smoking. Focus groups and key informant interviews were conducted with 31 housing and public health staff involved in policy development and implementation, and qualitative interviews with 56 tenants. Both types of smoke-free policies helped tenants to reduce and quit smoking. However, exempting existing tenants from the policy created challenges for monitoring compliance and enforcing the policy, and resulted in ongoing tobacco smoke exposure. Moreover, some new tenants were smoking in exempted units, which undermined the policy and maintained smoking behavior. Our findings support the implementation of complete smoke-free housing policies that do not exempt existing leases to avoid many of the problems experienced by staff and tenants. In jurisdictions where exempting existing leases is still required by law, adequate staff resources for monitoring and enforcement, along with consistent and clear communication (particularly regarding balconies, patios and outdoor spaces) will encourage compliance.

The HUD smoke-free rule: Perceptions of residents post-implementation

“…While instructive, the smoke free policies evaluated to date prior to July 2018 were not necessarily the same as the new HUD policy. For example, some of the policies had a grandfather clause such that it only applied only to new residents, exempting the individual who smoked and lived in the multi-unit housing at the time of policy implementation ( Kaufman et al, 2018 , Rokicki et al, 2016 ) . Thus, it is important to assess resident perceptions to the new nationwide HUD rule.…”

Changes in smokers’ behavior following the implementation of a smoke-free apartment-building legislation

“…The prohibition of smoking in public areas, such as apartment buildings, renders smoking inconvenient and gradually changes smokers' habits 4 . In 2008, a mail survey was conducted, where 440 Oregon residents were invited to assess the effectiveness of the no-smoking policy introduced for apartment buildings in Oregon.…”

“…The results of this study point to a need for smoking cessation support services for smokers as smoke-free spaces are expanded. Smokers perceive the necessity of smoking cessation, and thus attempt to quit, in response to the designation of non-smoking areas 4,5 , and the provision of support services may lead to a higher rate of success of smoking cessation attempts 7 .…”

Secondhand Smoke and Streptococcal Infection in Young Children Under Japan's Voluntary Tobacco-Free Policy

“…28,29 In addition, comprehensive smoke-free housing policies, regardless of the policy type, support positive changes in smoking behavior, such as reduced smoking and quitting. 30 Thus, it is critical to implement comprehensive tobacco control not only in public spaces but also in the home and in personal spaces such as cars. The present study has some limitations.…”