Teens in communities with smoking bans were compared to teens in communities with no bans or weak bans. The conclusion? Smoking bans make a big difference.
Key quote:
"The study found that having a smoker as a parent or a close friend was a factor in predicting whether children experiment with cigarettes. But strong bans had a bigger influence on whether smoking grew into a habit, reducing their chances of becoming smokers by 40 percent."
Forty percent is significant. Think of the enormous savings in terms of public health. Do we need more reasons why smoking bans are no-brainers?
2 comments:
At least you live in Minnesota! As a Public Health employee in your neighbor state of Wisconsin, I am embarassed by our current status. On our way to becoming the "ashtray of the midwest".
Ah yes, it certainly looks like Wisconsin is earning that distinction to be the "ashtray of the Midwest."
Fortunately, being smoke-free nationwide is inevitable. The question is how long will some places like Wisconsin hold out?
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