Public awareness of and support for smoke-free legislation in Turkey: a national survey using the lot quality sampling technique

ÇAKIR B., BUZGAN T., COM S., IRMAK H., AYDIN E., ARPAD C.

EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN HEALTH JOURNAL, vol.19, no.2, pp.141-150, 2013 (SCI-Expanded) identifier identifier identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 19 Issue: 2
  • Publication Date: 2013
  • Journal Name: EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN HEALTH JOURNAL
  • Journal Indexes: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus
  • Page Numbers: pp.141-150
  • Hacettepe University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

Six months after new legislation in Turkey banning smoking in all public places, a national survey was carried out to assess its implementation. This paper summarizes the main findings on the public's awareness of and support for the new law. In a household interview survey of 32 972 adults representative of the Turkish adult population, a high proportion of both non-smokers and current smokers (91.4% and 67.2% respectively) strongly supported the new law. Knowledge about the health hazards of passive smoking and support for the law, however, were relatively lower among smokers than non-smokers. After controlling for smoking status, people with better knowledge about passive smoking were over 5 times more likely to support the new law. Tobacco control activities should be tailored to local needs, with a focus on increasing awareness about the health hazards of passive smoking. The study also demonstrated application of the lot quality sampling technique (LQT) for monitoring tobacco control activities in a national survey.