The 13th World Conference on Tobacco OR Health

Objective: To examine lessons learned from the adoption and implementation of state and national smoke-free air laws. Background: Exposure to secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure poses serious health risks. Smoke-free laws are the most effective method of reducing SHS exposure. In recent years, a number of countries and U.S. states have adopted laws to protect their citizens from SHS exposure in workplaces and other public environments. While each effort has built upon previous experiences, each jurisdiction has experienced some common and some unique challenges and has developed its own array of approaches that may be applicable to future efforts elsewhere. As the state of the art of tobacco control evolves over time, it is vital that the experiences of the past be considered and applied to future endeavors.

Methods: The state of California and the countries of Ireland and Italy are three examples of jurisdictions that have implemented and evaluated comprehensive SHS laws. Representatives from the three programs will discuss: the lessons learned in their efforts to adopt, implement, and defend smoke-free laws; the challenges and opportunities they faced; the strategies they used to overcome the challenges and take advantage of the opportunities; and the evaluation evidence they have gathered.

Results: Attendees will: gain a greater understanding of the process involved in conducting a SHS policy campaign; be able to more accurately anticipate potential challenges; become familiar with several available evaluation methodologies; and understand how a SHS law aids in moving a populace through the continuum of social norm change.