• Raoul A Walsh, Christine L Paul, Lorraine Paras, Fiona Stacey, and Flora Tzelepis.
• Centre for Health Research & Psycho-oncology, The-Cancer Council New South Wales/University of Newcastle and-Hunter Medical Research lnstitute. Raoul.Walsh@newcastle.edu.au
• Health Promot J Austr. 2011 Aug 1;22(2):85-90.

Issue AddressedLittle research has examined issues surrounding employee smoking outside smoke-free workplaces. The study's aims were to: 1) document the proportion of NSW indoor employees covered by total workplace smoking bans; 2) examine community perceptions of employee smoking during working hours; 3) identify the characteristics of having a supportive attitude toward tobacco control in the workplace; and 4) describe relationships between smoking relapse and workplace-related smoking.MethodsTwo cross-sectional, computer-assisted telephone interview surveys of randomly selected adults were conducted. Consent rates were 49.1% in 2004 and 45.8% in 2006, with sample sizes of 1,158 and 2,393 respectively.ResultsTotal workplace bans were reported by 92.9% of indoor employees. Community attitudes to smoking in working hours were highly negative: 77.7% agreed smoking breaks waste too much time and 85.1% opposed smoking near workplace doorways. Being female, born in Australia and a non-smoker were associated with more negative attitudes. A higher proportion of smokers (78.3%) perceived smoking was more common outside their place of work or study than at five other locations: rail/bus stop (60.2%), friends' houses (59.3%), own street (35.2%), parks (34.3%), and outside school (22.6%). Of smokers making a quit attempt in the past year, 42.1% relapsed at home, 22.1% at licensed premises and 18.7% at work.ConclusionsFindings emphasise the low support for smoking during or near work. Smoking outside workplaces is highly visible. Data on relapse suggest a modest relationship with workplace-related smoking.

21 keywords...

hide…