Smoke-Free Medical Facility Campus Legislation: Support, Resistance, Difficulties and Cost

Christine Sheffer, Maxine Stitzer and J. Gary Wheeler
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Christine Sheffer: Health Behavior and Health Education Department, College of Public Health, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, 4301 West Markham St #820, Little Rock, AR 72205, USA
Maxine Stitzer: Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, 5510 Nathan Shock, USA
J. Gary Wheeler: Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, 4301 West Markham St Little Rock, AR 72205, USA

IJERPH, 2009, vol. 6, issue 1, 1-13

Abstract: Although medical facilities restrict smoking inside, many people continue to smoke outside, creating problems with second-hand smoke, litter, fire risks, and negative role modeling. In 2005, Arkansas passed legislation prohibiting smoking on medical facility campuses. Hospital administrators (N=113) were surveyed pre- and post-implementation. Administrators reported more support and less difficulty than anticipated. Actual cost was 10-50% of anticipated cost. Few negative effects and numerous positive effects on employee performance and retention were reported. The results may be of interest to hospital administrators and demonstrate that state legislation can play a positive role in facilitating broad health-related policy change.

Keywords: Smoke-free hospitals; public smoking bans; secondhand tobacco smoke; tobacco smoking; health effects; legislated policy change (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2009
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