International review of the health and economic impact of the regulation of smoking in public places

In 2004, the Scottish Executive published its Tobacco Control Action Plan (Scottish Executive, 2004), which included as an action point the intention to sponsor a major public debate on actions to minimise the impact of second-hand smoke. A public consultation relating to smoking in public places was launched in June 2004. A number of specific studies were also commissioned to support the consultation. This report contains the results of a review of evidence about the impacts of smoking bans and restrictions. The aims of the review, as stated in the brief, were to determine: the health impact of smoking bans and smoking restrictions in public places; and the economic impact of smoking bans and smoking restrictions in public places. Public places are taken to encompass workplaces and the leisure and hospitality sector (including pubs and restaurants). The study combined a literature review with a modelling exercise to determine the likely impacts of restrictions on smoking in public places in a Scottish context. The model focused on the main health and economic impacts identified in the literature; it was not designed as a full costbenefit analysis. Therefore, the scope of the study did not include factors such as the costs of any legislative process on implementation or compliance costs. The literature review covered a number of distinct areas. The review included evidence relating to the health effects of exposure to ETS, the impact of restrictions on exposure levels and on tobacco use behaviours and the economic impacts of restrictions on workplaces, in general, and on the hospitality sector in particular. The relatively small number of interventions and the short timescale of follow up, in the context of health benefits, limited the availability of evidence relating to the impact of actual restrictions that have been put in place. Specific information was also collected to assist in the modelling of impacts in Scotland. (Extract of the publication)