Study: Local smoking ordinances ineffective in Appalachia, so statewide laws are needed

A new study from Ohio State University reveals local ordinances that restrict smoking in public places in six Appalachian states do not offer most residents adequate protection against second-hand smoke. The study, scheduled to be published in the July edition of the American Journal of Public Health, led researchers to conclude that smoking-ban efforts "should be focused on enacting strong statewide clean-indoor-air laws rather than relying on local ordinances to make public places smoke-free in some of these states," says a Newswise release. Each of the six states studied, Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, South Carolina and West Virginia, have weak or no statewide smoking regulations but allow localities to pass regulations of their own.

"Overall, ordinances were considered weak based on analyses of the extent of public areas they covered, the severity of punishment and how they were enforced," the release says. Places with higher education levels and lower unemployment were more likely to pass strict smoking ordinances. "A 1 percent increase in the high-school completion rate was associated with a 9 percent increase in the odds of a restaurant policy and a 10 percent increase in the odds of a workplace policy," the release says. "In contrast, a 1 percent increase in the unemployment rate translated to an approximate 50 percent decrease in the odds that a community had passed a policy for workplaces or restaurants."

Researchers rated ordinances based on how extensively they applied to different types of indoor areas: government or private work sites, retail or recreational spaces, restaurants, bars, schools and childcare facilities. Strength of penalties imposed on violators and enforcement were also considered. "The possible scores ranged from 0 to 13, with higher scores representing more comprehensive laws," the release says. "On average, the communities as a group achieved only 43 percent of the possible points." The lone exception was West Virginia which "clearly had the highest proportion of communities with comprehensive ordinances, all passed at the county level." Unlike most of the other states, West Virginia has little history of tobacco production. (Read more)