The social context of change in tobacco consumption following the introduction of ‘smokefree’ England legislation: A qualitative, longitudinal study

Does smoke-free legislation and smoking outside bars increase feelings of stigmatization among smokers? Findings from the International Tobacco Control (ITC) Netherlands Survey

“…Because smoke-free legislation physically separates smokers from non-smokers by requiring smokers to smoke outside, it has been suggested that smoke-free legislation may increase feelings of stigmatization (Gottlieb et al, 1992). Several qualitative studies found that smoke-free legislation in workplaces and public places is associated with feelings of stigmatization (Gottlieb et al, 1992;Hargreaves et al, 2010;Poland, 1998;Ritchie et al, 2010a, 2010band Thompson et al, 2007. In these studies, smokers report that they feel 'like a leper' (Ritchie et al, 2010b), 'an outcast' (Thompson et al, 2007), or 'ashamed' (Baha and Le Faou, 2010) when they have to go outside to smoke.…”

International Tobacco Control

“…All studies (except one) reported a reduction in consumption after policies were put in place. Hargreaves et al [40] found that smoke-free legislation reduced consumption amongst smokers because of the potential inconvenience of going outside, and their increased visibility as a smoker which they perceived led to public disapproval. Studies have also found that the introduction of smoke-free legislation leads to reductions in exposure to SHS in the workplace, restaurants, bars and public places.…”

Protecting the World From Secondhand Tobacco Smoke Exposure: Where Do We Stand and Where Do We Go From Here?

“…In China, workplaces with a smoking ban have smoking prevalence 18% lower (55.5% vs. 73.3%) than workplaces that only restrict smoking (Gao, Zheng, Gao, Chapman, & Fu, 2011). Other benefits include the decrease in cigarette consumption (Hargreaves et al, 2010;Hopkins et al, 2010) and a reduction in the percentage of heavy smokers (≥25 cigarettes/day) (Hopkins et al, 2010). Furthermore, voluntary bans at home have also been found to decrease cigarette consumption among smokers (Mills, Messer, Gilpin, & Pierce, 2009).…”