The study of four European countries with smoke-free environments has suggested that bans on smoking in public / work places do not drive smokers to light up more than at home.

In any case, the ban may encourage smokers to smoke less at home, and academics.

The researchers base their conclusions on two waves of the International Tobacco Control policy evaluation project (ITC Project) in the European polls.

They were conducted before and after the law banning smoking in public places came into force in Ireland, France, Germany and the Netherlands and the UK, except Scotland, before the law was passed.

Studies conducted in the period from 2003/4 and 2008/9, depending on when the ban came into force involved 4634 smokers in four countries, smoke-free legislation in 1080, and smokers in the UK, which served as a comparison country at a time when no public / ban on smoking in workplaces came into force.

Before a ban came into force, most smokers had at least partial restrictions on smoking at home, although the proportions varied significantly among all four countries, with the highest levels of restrictions in Germany and France.

The presence of a small child in the family and support a ban on smoking in bars were the key factors associated with the choice to restrict smoking in the home.

After legislation was enacted, the percentage of smokers who banned smoking at home increased significantly in all countries, rising by 25 percent in Ireland, 17 percent in France, 38 percent in Germany and 28 percent in the Netherlands by the time of the second survey.

This increase was independent of whether the public / workplace smoking ban was comprehensive and allowed for some exceptions.

Home smoking ban is likely to be adopted when planning a smoker to quit smoking, when there was no child’s birth, and among those smokers who support a ban on smoking in bars.

In the UK the percentage of smokers who implemented a ban smoking at home also rose by 22 percent between the two surveys, the second of which was held just a few months before the smoking ban came into force.

After controlling for demographic variables, smoking and some share of smokers continues the ban on smoking at home significantly increased in all four countries, but not significant increase in the UK.

Current thinking suggests that the effects of the ban on smoking in public or eventually increase the number of smoking at home, as smokers are trying to compensate for the displacement hypothesis, or encouraging smokers to apply the same restrictions at home and social diffusion hypotheses.

“Opponents of the ban in the workplace or smoking in public places claim that smoke free policies, while designed to protect nonsmokers from tobacco smoke can lead to displacement of smoking in the house, and therefore even increase the effects of second-hand smoke in non-smoking family members and, most importantly, the children, “the authors write.

In fact, the evidence supports “the hypothesis of social diffusion” that the ban on smoking in public places “may encourage smokers to set a total ban on smoking in their homes.”

Tags: public places, smoking bans

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