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Journal of Public Health Advance Access published online on November 14, 2007
Journal of Public Health, doi:10.1093/pubmed/fdm051
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© The Author 2007, Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Faculty of Public Health. All rights reserved

Did the Tobacco Control Act Amendment in 1995 affect daily smoking in Finland? Effects of a restrictive workplace smoking policy


Satu A. Helakorpi, Researcher
Tuija P. Martelin, Senior Researcher
Jorma O. Torppa, Statistician
Kristiina M. Patja, Senior Researcher
Urpo A. Kiiskinen, Senior Researcher
Erkki A. Vartiainen, Professor, Director of the Department
Antti K. Uutela, Adjunct Professor, Head of the Unit

National Public Health Institute (KTL), Mannerheimintie 166, FIN-00300 Helsinki, Finland


Address correspondence to Satu A. Helakorpi, E-mail: satu.helakorpi{at}ktl.fi


  Abstract

Background This study examined changes in adult daily smoking in 1981–2005 in Finland, in order to evaluate the impact of the 1995 Tobacco Control Act Amendment (TCAA) and accompanying measures on the proportion of daily smokers. The main focus of the TCAA was to prohibit smoking at workplaces (designated rooms excluded) in order to protect workers from environmental tobacco smoke.

Methods The study was based on data from annual postal surveys among 15- to 64-year-olds in 1981–2005 (average response rate 73%). The data set for this study comprised men and women aged 25–64 years (n = 73 471). Logistic models were used to test the effect of the 1995 TCAA across employment status while controlling for the effect of changes in the real price of tobacco and in gross domestic product per capita, and adjusting for age, education, secular trend and prevalence of ever-smokers in each birth cohort.

Results Controlling for confounding factors, the odds ratio (OR) for daily smoking after 1995 among employed men was 0.83 (95% CI 0.73–0.94) compared with the OR (1.0) for the period ending 1994. The corresponding figure for employed women was 0.78 (95% CI 0.68–0.91). The results can be interpreted as a positive effect of the 1995 TCAA on employees’ daily smoking. Moreover, a similar decrease in daily smoking was not seen among those not targeted by the TCAA (including farmers, students, housewives, pensioners and the unemployed).

Conclusion Smoking behaviour was and can be influenced by national tobacco policy measures.

Keywords: environmental tobacco smoke, public health, smoking


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