Secondhand Smoke Exposure, Indoor Smoking Bans and Smoking-Related Knowledge in China

Yue Jin, Ling Wang, Bo Lu and Amy K. Ferketich
Additional contact information
Yue Jin: Division of Epidemiology, College of Public Health, The Ohio State University, 1841 Neil Ave., Columbus, OH 43210, USA
Ling Wang: Division of Epidemiology, College of Public Health, The Ohio State University, 1841 Neil Ave., Columbus, OH 43210, USA
Bo Lu: Division of Biostatistics, College of Public Health, The Ohio State University, 1841 Neil Ave., Columbus, OH 43210, USA
Amy K. Ferketich: Division of Epidemiology, College of Public Health, The Ohio State University, 1841 Neil Ave., Columbus, OH 43210, USA

IJERPH, 2014, vol. 11, issue 12, 1-13

Abstract: Although previous studies have provided strong evidence that Chinese individuals are exposed to secondhand smoke (SHS) and lack knowledge of its harmful effects, there has not been an in-depth exploration of the variability in exposure and knowledge by geographic region, occupation, and socioeconomic status. The objectives of this study were to examine: (1) the demographic factors associated with the level of knowledge of the harmful effects of smoking; (2) the factors related to implementation of in-home and workplace smoking bans; and (3) geographic differences in being exposed to SHS in government buildings, healthcare facilities, restaurants, public transportations, and schools. We used data from the 2010 Global Adult Tobacco Survey-China. Chi-square tests were used for statistical analysis. The results suggested that among Chinese citizens age 15 years and older, there is poor knowledge of the harmful effects of tobacco, and knowledge varies with region and socioeconomic status. Over three-quarters of the households had no smoking restrictions, and a large percentage of workers reported working in places with no smoking ban. In public places, exposure to SHS was high, particularly in rural areas and in the Southwest. These results suggest Chinese individuals are not well informed of smoking and SHS associated risks and are regularly exposed to SHS at home, work and public places.

Keywords: clean-indoor air laws; public smoking bans; smoke-free environments; secondhand smoke; tobacco control policies/interventions (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2014
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/11/12/12835/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/11/12/12835/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:11:y:2014:i:12:p:12835-12847:d:43386

Access Statistics for this article

IJERPH is currently edited by Ms. Jenna Liu

More articles in IJERPH from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().