Majority of L.A. tenants favor smoke-free apartments, but 80 percent of units are still not protected

​Eight of 10 Los Angeles apartment dwellers are not protected from secondhand smoke, and an even bigger percentage — 82 percent — would support smoke-free policies in their buildings, according to a pair of new studies by the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research. The research was released today to coincide with the kickoff of a new citywide campaign to reduce secondhand smoke in multi-unit apartment buildings. The two studies outline findings from nearly 1,000 door-to-door interviews with tenants in some of the most densely populated areas of the city of Los Angeles, as well as reports submitted to UCLA by 93 owners of apartment buildings, who collectively represented more than 5,400 units. Significant support for smoke-free policies Although just 20 percent of apartments are covered by smoke-free policies, 82 percent of tenants said they would prefer to live in a smoke-free apartment — and those who smoke were even more likely (85 percent) to support such a policy. In addition, 55 percent of landlords expressed support for smoke-free policies, citing reasons that included the value of creating a healthy environment, lowering maintenance costs and increasing their properties’ marketability. Landlords with policies already in place unanimously reported that the guidelines have had no negative effect on vacancy rates. “Our findings send a strong message to property owners that renters want healthy, smoke-free homes,” said Ying-Ying Meng, the lead author of both ...
Source: UCLA Newsroom: Health Sciences - Category: Universities & Medical Training Source Type: news