Impact of the 2005 smoke‐free policy in Italy on prevalence, cessation and intensity of smoking in the overall population and by educational group

Abstract

The impact of the Italian smoke-free policy on smoking and inequalities in smoking was short-term. Smoke-free policies may not achieve the secondary effect of reducing smoking prevalence in the long term, and they may have limited effects on inequalities in smoking.

Time series analysis of the impact of tobacco control policies on smoking prevalence among Australian adults, 2001–2011

“…Our findings are broadly consistent with those of other studies that have assessed the influence of smoke-free laws, [22][23][24] although studies from some countries have revealed no change, 24,25 perhaps because of data limitations or a differing rate of incremental policy change. Smoke-free policies result in fewer opportunities to smoke and send a clear message about the declining social acceptability of smoking.…”

The role of anti-smoking legislation on cigarette and alcohol consumption habits in Italy

“…In addition, using data from a survey conducted after the 2004 CIAL in Ireland, Anonymous (2005) found that, among Irish smokers who quit after the law came into force, 80% not only reported that the law had helped them to quit but, of these, 88% stated that it had helped them to remain non-smokers 1 . Gallus et al (2006) Federico et al (2012), with a special focus on the role of education. These results are also in line with findings from studies analysing countries outside Europe (e.g., the US, Australia and Canada; Fichtenberg & Glantz (2004)).…”

Seasonality in Smoking Behaviour: Re-Evaluating the Effects of the 2005 Public Smoking Ban in Italy

“…Public support for the ban was widespread and enforcement was considered successful Gorini 2011). The existing empirical evidence strongly supports a negative short-run effect of the public smoking ban on both smoking prevalence and total consumption of cigarettes (Buonanno and Ranzani, 2013;Cesaroni et al, 2008;Federico et al, 2012;Gallus et al, 2007). However this evidence is mainly based on before-after comparisons without a valid control group.…”

“…Although some of this evidence is based on relatively small samples (e.g., the survey used in has about 3,100 individuals), two recent studies by Federico et al (2012) and Buonanno and Ranzani (2013) based on data from large national surveys also report statistically significant effects of the ban on individual smoking behaviour. Federico et al (2012) analyse 11 waves from the Multiscopo Survey (conducted by ISTAT, the Italian Office of National Statistics, with a sample size of about 30,000 observations for each year), from 1999 to 2010 and show evidence of a decrease in smoking prevalence for men (2.6%) as well as an increase in quit rates for both men (3.3%) and women (4.5%) in the year immediately after the introduction of the ban.…”

“…Federico et al (2012) analyse 11 waves from the Multiscopo Survey (conducted by ISTAT, the Italian Office of National Statistics, with a sample size of about 30,000 observations for each year), from 1999 to 2010 and show evidence of a decrease in smoking prevalence for men (2.6%) as well as an increase in quit rates for both men (3.3%) and women (4.5%) in the year immediately after the introduction of the ban. Similarly, Buonanno and Ranzani (2013) show that in Italy smoking prevalence decreased by 1.3% and number of cigarettes smoked declined by almost 8% as a consequence of the introduction of the smoking ban.…”