• Kelly Buettner-Schmidt, Marie L Lobo, Mark J Travers, and Blake Boursaw.
• Assistant Professor of Nursing Executive Director, Healthy Communities International, North Dakota State University, School of Nursing, Department 2670, PO Box 6050, Fargo, ND, 58108-6050.
• Res Nurs Health. 2015 Aug 1; 38 (4): 268-77.

AbstractThe purpose of this cross-sectional study in a stratified random sample of 135 bars and restaurants in North Dakota was to describe factors that influenced tobacco smoke pollution levels in the venues; to compare the quantity of tobacco smoke pollution by rurality and by presence of local ordinances; and to assess compliance with state and local laws. In data collection in 2012, we measured the indoor air quality indicator of particulate matter (2.5 microns aerodynamic diameter or smaller), calculated average smoking density and occupant density, and determined compliance with state and local smoking ordinances using observational methods. As rurality increased, tobacco smoke pollution in bars increased. A significant association was found between stringency of local laws and level of tobacco smoke pollution, but the strength of the association varied by venue type. Compliance was significantly lower in venues in communities without local ordinances. Controlling for venue type, 69.2% of smoke-free policy's impact on tobacco smoke pollution levels was mediated by observed smoking. This study advances scientific knowledge on the factors influencing tobacco smoke pollution and informs public health advocates and decision makers on policy needs, especially in rural areas.© 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

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