Is Teen Smoking Influenced By Restaurant Tobacco Bans

In Massachusetts there was a made a study, where it says that smoking ban can gave an important role in preventing teens to become smokers.

It was made a comparison between teens that lived in towns with smoking restrictions and teens that lived in communities with weak bans or without them at all. The result was that that the teen from the first category were 40 per cent less likely to become smokers.

The research sustains the idea that smoking cigarettes bans in towns and communities discourage smoking among teens. The bans send a very clear message that smoking is dangerous and is reducing the exposure to second hand smoking in public. Dr. Michael Siegel, of Boston University School of Public Health is the study’s lead author and he explained how tobacco ban reduce smoking among teens.

“When kids grow up in an environment where they don’t see smoking, they are going to think it’s not socially acceptable,” he said. “If they perceive a lot of other people are smoking, they think it’s the norm.”

Siegel and his colleagues have studied 2,791 children between ages 12 and 17 who have lived throughout Massachusetts. When the study began in 2001, there were no tobacco bans, but later there have appeared smoking restrictions in bars, restaurants and workplaces.

All those youngster were followed for four years and see how many of them became smokers and how many of them have tried to smoke. Overall, about 9 per cent became smokers – defined as smoking more than 100 cigarettes Marlboro brand.

In places were smoking restrictions was in a designated area, that rate was almost 10 per cent. But in towns were smoking restrictions was in restaurants; just fewer than 8 per cent of the teens became smokers. The same study showed that if in the family was a smoking parent it is very possible that the child will become smoker too. “There is really no other smoking intervention program that could cut almost in half the rate of smoking,” Siegel said. Age was also an interesting factor. Smoking bans had a greater effect on younger teens than on older teens.

A statewide workplace smoking ban that included restaurants went into effect in mid-2004. Since then, high school smoking rates in Massachusetts have continued to decline, from about 21 per cent of students in 2005 to about 18 per cent in 2007.

There were many restaurant owners who didn’t agree with the smoking ban, saying it could drive away diners, according to Janine Harrod, director of government affairs for the Massachusetts Restaurant Association, which represents 2,000 restaurant owners.

Bill Phelps is a spokesman for Altria, which is the manufacturer of Marlboro cigarettes and he said that the study shows that the reasons teens take up smoking can be different and complex.” There is no single reason why young people engage in risky behaviors like smoking,” he said. “We believe that there should be a multifaceted approach to address youth smoking.”

At least 23 states, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia want most public places and workplaces, including bars and restaurants, to be smoke free, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

“We already have more than enough evidence why we should pass these smoke-free laws, but certainly this study should help push them along,” said Danny McGoldick of the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids.