摘要：Objectives. In this cohort study, we assessed the impact of smoke-free work-site policies on smoking cessation behaviors. Methods. Smokers were tracked as part of the Community Intervention Trial for Smoking Cessation. Telephone surveys were administered to 1967 employed smokers in 1993 and 2001. Data were gathered on personal and demographic characteristics, tobacco use behaviors, and restrictiveness of worksite smoking policies. Results. People who worked in environments that changed to or maintained smoke-free policies between 1993 and 2001 were 1.9 times more likely (odds ratio [OR] = 1.92; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.11, 3.32) than people whose worksites did not do so to have stopped smoking by 2001. Continuing smokers decreased their average daily consumption by 2.57 cigarettes. People working in environments that had smoke-free policies in place in both 1993 and 2001 were 2.3 times more likely (OR=2.29; 95% CI=1.08, 4.45) than people not working in such environments to have quit by 2001, and continuing smokers reported a decline in average daily consumption of 3.85 cigarettes. Conclusions. Smoke-free worksite policies help employees reduce their cigarette consumption and stop smoking. Worksite smoking policies are intended to protect nonsmoking employees by decreasing their exposure to environmental tobacco smoke. 1 However, many cross-sectional studies have revealed that smoking employees are affected as well. Smoke-free policies have been shown to discourage smoking, 2 reduce cigarette consumption, 3 increase people’s desire to quit, 4 and increase their likelihood of cessation. 5 In a recent literature review, Fichtenberg and Glantz 6 examined 26 studies that addressed the relationship between smoke-free worksite policies and various smoking cessation outcomes. They noted that only 5 of the studies were population based and that although longitudinal studies have been conducted, those studies involved limited follow-up periods or small sample sizes. As more states and communities adopt smoke-free indoor air regulations, it becomes increasingly important to assess the effects these policies have on smoking behaviors. Communities across the country have enacted a variety of smoke-free policies. As of early 2005, 7 states (California, Delaware, New York, Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island), representing about 24% of the US population, had enacted statewide smoke-free worksite legislation, including bans on smoking in restaurants and bars. 7 In our study, we used data from the Community Intervention Trial for Smoking Cessation (COMMIT), a large, population-based, prospective cohort of smokers funded by the National Cancer Institute from 1988 to 1993, to examine the effects of worksite smoking policies. COMMIT’s participants were followed up in 2001 with National Cancer Institute funding, allowing us to examine how changes in worksite policies influenced smoking behaviors.
