Journal of Public Health Advance Access originally published online on February 23, 2006
Journal of Public Health 2006 28(2):104-110; doi:10.1093/pubmed/fdi086
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Attitudes towards second hand smoke amongst a highly exposed workforce: survey of London casino workers
P. A. Pilkington, Lecturer in Public Health1
S. Gray, Professor of Public Health1
A. B. Gilmore, Clinical Lecturer in Public Health2
N. Daykin, Reader in Health, Community and Policy Studies1
1 Centre for Public Health Research, University of the West of England, Faculty of Health and Social Care, Glenside Campus, Blackberry Hill, Stapleton, Bristol BS16 1DD, UK
2 European Centre on Health of Societies in Transition, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Keppel Street, London WC1 E 7HT, UK
Address correspondence to P.A. Pilkington, E-mail: paul.pilkington{at}uwe.ac.uk
Study objective To examine knowledge, attitudes and experiences of London casino workers regarding exposure to second hand smoke (SHS) in the workplace.
Design Postal survey of 1568 London casino workers in 25 casinos who were members of the TGWU or GMB Trade Unions.
Main results Of the workers, 559 responded to the survey (36% response), 22% of whom were current smokers. Of the respondents, 71% report being nearly always exposed to heavy levels of SHS at work, and most (65%) want all working areas in their casino to be smoke-free. The majority (78%) are bothered by SHS at work, while 91% have wanted to move away from where they are working because of it. Fifty-seven per cent believe their health has suffered as a result of SHS. Of the workers who smoke at work, 59% believe that they would try to quit smoking if no one was allowed to smoke in the casino.
Conclusions The majority of responders are bothered by SHS, and many are concerned about the health impacts. Most want all working areas in their casino to be smoke-free. Despite difficulties in generalizing from this limited sample, these findings add weight to the argument that the legislation on smoking in public places in England should encompass all workplaces, without exemption.
Keywords: second hand smoke, attitudes, workers