Assessment of Smoke-Free Compliance in Enclosed Spaces of Hospitality Establishments in Istanbul between 2013 and 2017

The objective of this study was to determine the compliance to the smoke-free law in enclosed spaces of hospitality establishments in Istanbul in four consecutive years; 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2017.This was an observational study which was carried out in four districts of Istanbul. Sample size was calculated as 450 enterprises assuming a violation rate of 25%, a confidence level of 95%. Hospitality establishments were selected using a stratified cluster sampling method. Restaurants, cafés, traditional coffeehouses and bars in the sample were visited between 12:00-15:00. Each establishment was observed for 10 minutes and the use of tobacco products was noted. The study was first conducted in 2013, and then repeated in 2014, 2015 and 2017 using the same methodology. Descriptive statistics were expressed in numbers and percentages. Changes over the years were evaluated by the chi-square test for trend. A p value <0.05 was set as the level of statistical significance.Non-compliance to the smoke-free law was 50.0%, 27.0%, 23.8% and 46.0% for 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2017, respectively (p> 0.05). Non-compliance in restaurants for 2013 and 2017 was 43.1% and 42.3% (p> 0.05). Violation rates in cafés in 2013 and 2017 were 57.0% and 48.0% respectively (p> 0.05). Of the violations detected in 2017, 56.6% were in retractable spaces.The violation rates determined in 2013 showed a tendency to decrease during the following two years, but in 2017 they increased to the in...
Source: European Respiratory Journal - Category: Respiratory Medicine Authors: Tags: Tobacco, smoking control and health education Source Type: research