Smoke-free restaurants in Shanghai: should it be mandatory and is it acceptable?

School of Public Health, Fudan University, 138 Yi Xue Yuan Road, Shanghai 200032, China.

OBJECTIVES: This study aims to describe secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure in restaurants in Shanghai and to explore the impact on the health of restaurant workers. Attitude to smoke-free restaurants among restaurant workers and customers was also determined in this study. METHODS: A random sample of 242 workers, 284 customers, and 46 restaurant owners participated in face-to-face questionnaire interviews. RESULTS: A total of 219 (90.7%) restaurant workers surveyed were found to be exposed to SHS during working hours with 24.2+/-18.6h of exposure on average per week. Exposure time each week was significantly associated with the symptoms of dyspnea and irritated eyes. Among the customers surveyed 73.9% supported the concept of a 100% smoke-free law in restaurants and 49.6% expressed that they would be more likely to eat in restaurants if smoking was banned in restaurants. And 58.6% of the restaurant owners surveyed regarded smoke-free laws banning smoking in restaurant as feasible and 56.5% estimated such bans would decrease the profit. CONCLUSION: Both restaurant workers and customers are substantially exposed to SHS. Although some restaurant owners are concerned about a decrease in profits, the fear of losing business is not supported by the response among customers. Therefore, introducing a law-banning smoking in restaurants appears to be feasible and acceptable in Shanghai.

PMID: 18621430 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]