Do smoke-free environment policies reduce smoking on hospital grounds? Evaluation of a smoke-free health service policy at two Sydney hospitals.

Natasha Poder, Therese Carroll, Cate Wallace, Myna Hua

Health Promotion Service, South Western Sydney and Sydney Local Health Districts, Narellan Community Health Centre, Narellan, NSW 2567, Australia. natasha.poder@sswahs.nsw.gov.au

Australian health review : a publication of the Australian Hospital Association 2012 May

filter terms:

To evaluate the compliance of hospital staff, inpatients and visitors with Sydney South West Area Health Service's Smoke-free Environment Policy. Six sites were observed at two Sydney hospitals 2 weeks before implementation of the policy and at 2 weeks, 6 months, 12 months, 18 months and 2 years after implementation. There was an overall significant 36% (P≤0.05) reduction in observed smoking incidents on hospital grounds 2 years after implementation. Two years after implementation, observed smoking incidents reduced by 44% (P≤0.05) in staff, 37% (P≤0.05) in visitors and remained unchanged among inpatients. CONCLUSIONS and The Smoke-free Environment Policy was effective in reducing visitors and staff observed smoking on hospital grounds, but had little effect on inpatients' smoking. Identifying strategies to effectively manage nicotine addiction and promote cessation amongst hospital inpatients remains a key priority.

Citation

Natasha Poder, Therese Carroll, Cate Wallace, Myna Hua. Do smoke-free environment policies reduce smoking on hospital grounds? Evaluation of a smoke-free health service policy at two Sydney hospitals. Australian health review : a publication of the Australian Hospital Association. 2012 May;36(2):158-62