Bar workers' health and environmental tobacco smoke exposure (BHETSE): Symptomatic improvement in bar staff following smoke-free legislation in Scotland

Citation

Ayres J, Semple S, MacCalman L, Dempsey S, Hilton S, Hurley F, Miller B, Naji A & Petticrew M (2009) Bar workers' health and environmental tobacco smoke exposure (BHETSE): Symptomatic improvement in bar staff following smoke-free legislation in Scotland. Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 66 (5), pp. 339-346. https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-66249087309&doi=10.1136%2foem.2008.040311&partnerID=40&md5=04bbe6f6f8230470c27a8e05948c64c3; https://doi.org/10.1136/oem.2008.040311

Abstract
Objective: To examine changes in the health of bar workers after smoke-free legislation was introduced. Design: Longitudinal study following bar workers from before legislation introduction, at 2 months after intro- duction and at 1 year to control for seasonal differences. Setting: Bars across a range of socio-economic settings in Scotland. Participants: 371 bar workers recruited from 72 bars. Intervention: Introduction of smoke-free legislation prohibiting smoking in enclosed public places, including bars. Main outcomes measures: Change in prevalence of self-reported respiratory and sensory symptoms. Results: Of the 191 (51%) workers seen at 1-year follow- up, the percentage reporting any respiratory symptom fell from 69% to 57% (p = 0.02) and for sensory symptoms from 75% to 64% (p = 0.02) following reductions in exposure, effects being greater at 2 months, probably partly due to seasonal effects. Excluding respondents who reported having a cold at either baseline or 1 year, the reduction in respiratory symptoms was similar although greater for "any" sensory symptom (69% falling to 54%, p = 0.011). For non-smokers (n = 57) the reductions in reported symptoms were significant for phlegm production (32% to 14%, p = 0.011) and red/irritated eyes (44% to 18%, p = 0.001). Wheeze (48% to 31%, p = 0.006) and breathlessness (42% to 29%, p = 0.038) improved significantly in smokers. There was no relationship between change in salivary cotinine levels and change in symptoms. Conclusions: Bar workers in Scotland reported signifi- cantly fewer respiratory and sensory symptoms 1 year after their working environment became smoke free. As these improvements, controlled for seasonal variations, were seen in both non-smokers and smokers, smoke-free working environments may have potentially important benefits even for smokers.

Journal
Occupational and Environmental Medicine: Volume 66, Issue 5

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Professor Sean Semple

Professor, Institute for Social Marketing