Public attitudes toward smoking bans in a tobacco-producing county.Objectives: Allen County Allen County is the name of several counties in the United States:
n the gaseous by-product of burning tobacco products, including but not limited to commercially manufactured cigarettes and cigars; contains toxic elements harmful to the health of adults and children by restricting smoking in public places. To progress toward that goal, a public opinion poll was conducted to determine citizens' views regarding smoking restrictions in the county courthouse. Methods: A telephone survey was conducted using the Allen County telephone directory as a sampling frame. The survey instrument included questions on support for smoking restrictions in the courthouse, restaurants, and workplaces as well as support for increasing Kentucky's cigarette tax. Interviews with 374 individuals--53.6% of the initial sample--were completed. Results: Banning all smoking in the Allen County Courthouse Allen County Courthouse may refer to:
Conclusions: Most Allen County residents support some form of restriction on smoking in public places (including the county courthouse and restaurants) and in workplaces. Only approximately one-third, however, supported an increase in the cigarette tax, perhaps reflecting a general antitax feeling. Ownership of tobacco allotments does not appear to be an important factor in determining attitudes on smoking control issues. Key Words: Clean Indoor Air Act, environmental tobacco smoke, secondhand smoke sec·ond·hand smoke n. Cigarette, cigar, or pipe smoke that is inhaled unintentionally by nonsmokers and may be injurious to their health if inhaled regularly over a long period. Also called passive smoke. , smoking, smoking ban, tobacco allotments ********** Smoking tobacco is the cause of more deaths each year in the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. than any other preventable cause of disease and death. (1) It results in more than 430,000 deaths each year--more than the combined number of deaths as a result of AIDS; alcohol, cocaine, and heroin abuse; homicide homicide (hŏm`əsīd), in law, the taking of human life. Homicides that are neither justifiable nor excusable are considered crimes. A criminal homicide committed with malice is known as murder, otherwise it is called manslaughter. ; suicide; motor vehicle crashes; and fires. This represents more than 5 million years of potential life lost years of potential life lost Public health A measure of the impact of premature mortality on a population, calculated as the sum of the differences between a predetermined minimum or desired life span usually set at 65 in calculations and the age of death for . The direct medical costs attributable to smoking total at least $50 billion per year. (2) In 1996, 23% of all deaths in Kentucky were attributable to cigarette smoking, compared with 19.5% nationally. (3) Annual health care expenditures in Kentucky directly related to smoking are $1 billion. (4) After years of steady decline, rates of smoking among adults seem to have leveled off in the 1990s. At the same time, smoking among adolescents has increased--every day, an estimated 3,000 young people start smoking. Almost one-half of these new smokers who continue smoking will eventually die as a result of a smoking-related illness. (2) Kentuckians have the highest rates of smoking of all states, at 30.8% of adults and 47% of adolescents, as compared with national rates of 22.9 and 36.4%. (2) In addition to the risks for the smoker smoker A person who smokes tobacco, almost always understood to be cigarettes Ratio of ♂:♀ smokers Philippines64/19, China61/7, Saudi Arabia53/2, Russia50/12 , smoking also presents hazards for those around the smoker. Secondhand smoke, also known as environmental tobacco smoke (ETS ETS Educational Testing Service (nonprofit private educational testing and measurement organization) ETS Emergency Telecommunications Service ETS Electronic Trading System ETS Engineering (&) Technical Services ), is a dilute di·lute v. To reduce a solution or mixture in concentration, quality, strength, or purity, as by adding water. adj. Thinned or weakened by diluting. mixture of "mainstream" smoke exhaled by smokers and "sidestream" smoke from the lit end of a tobacco product. It contains the same carcinogenic carcinogenic having a capacity for carcinogenesis. compounds as the smoke inhaled in·hale v. in·haled, in·hal·ing, in·hales v.tr. 1. To draw (air or smoke, for example) into the lungs by breathing; inspire. 2. by smokers. (5) Exposure to secondhand smoke is responsible for an estimated 3,000 lung cancer lung cancer, cancer that originates in the tissues of the lungs. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the United States in both men and women. Like other cancers, lung cancer occurs after repeated insults to the genetic material of the cell. deaths each year among adult nonsmokers. (2) It also increases the risk of heart disease and serious lung conditions, especially asthma and bronchitis bronchitis (brŏnkī`tĭs), inflammation of the mucous membrane of the bronchial tubes. It can be caused by viral or bacterial infections or by allergic reactions to irritants such as tobacco smoke. in children. (2,6) Kentucky's children have a higher rate of exposure to secondhand smoke than do the children of any other state. Approximately one-third (34%) of children and adolescents in Kentucky have significant exposure to secondhand smoke. (7) Along with education and smoking cessation smoking cessation Public health Temporary or permanent halting of habitual cigarette smoking; withdrawal therapies–eg, hypnosis, psychotherapy, group counseling, exposing smokers to Pts with terminal lung CA and nicotine chewing gum are often ineffective. programs, policy interventions can reduce secondhand smoke exposure in the population. Among the most successful policy approaches have been bans on smoking in work sites, retail establishments, and other public places, including enactment of clean indoor air laws and vigorous enforcement of these restrictions. There is considerable variation in the specifics of these bans, with regard to which public places are covered, and whether the ban is total or requires only the designation of nonsmoking non·smok·ing adj. 1. Not engaging in the smoking of tobacco: nonsmoking passengers. 2. Designated or reserved for nonsmokers: the nonsmoking section of a restaurant. and smoking areas. While the debate over smoking bans has largely focused on public accommodations such as restaurants and bars, an increasing number of bans have covered public meeting places and government offices. The current broad ban on smoking in indoor places in New York These lists of current cities, towns, unincorporated communities, counties, and other recognized places in the U.S. state of New York. They also include information on the number and names of counties in which the places lie and their lower and upper zip code bounds, if applicable. City, for instance, covers city courthouses and other such public buildings. (8) Public education campaigns and local community efforts to limit smoking in public places in California This list of current cities, towns, unincorporated communities, counties, and other recognized places in the U.S. state of California also includes information on the number and names of counties in which the place lies, and its lower and upper ZIP code bounds, if applicable. and Massachusetts have been associated with reported reductions in the exposure of both adults and children to secondhand smoke. (9, 10) Furthermore, such bans not only protect the health of nonsmoking adults and children but also play an important role in reducing tobacco consumption and promoting cessation among smokers. (3) For this reason, Healthy People 2010 set a national objective to "establish laws on smoke-free indoor air that prohibit smoking or limit it to separately ventilated ven·ti·late tr.v. ven·ti·lat·ed, ven·ti·lat·ing, ven·ti·lates 1. To admit fresh air into (a mine, for example) to replace stale or noxious air. 2. areas in public places and worksites." (2) The Kentucky Cabinet for Health has adopted as a health objective for Kentucky an increase to 100% of the proportion of work sites that prohibit smoking or limit it to separately ventilated areas. This compares with a 1999 baseline of 71.9% of all manufacturing facilities in the state. (3) Another important policy approach to reducing the prevalence of smoking is to increase the cigarette tax. It has been estimated that a 10% increase in the price of cigarettes would reduce overall smoking among adults by approximately 4%. (11, 12) A review by the General Accounting Office of the U.S. Congress predicted that for every 10% increase in the price of cigarettes, there would be a 7.6 to 12% decrease in teen smoking. (13) A proposal currently before the Kentucky Legislature that would increase the cigarette tax by $0.42 faces substantial opposition. The fact that Kentucky is a tobacco producing state is an important consideration in any public policy approach to smoking control. In the words of Healthy Kentuckians 2010. States where tobacco growing is a major activity have been less likely to adopt strong tobacco use prevention policies and programs. For example, the average cigarette tax in the six major tobacco-growing states is 7 cents per pack, while the average in the other states is more than 30 cents per pack higher. In 1999, Kentucky's cigarette tax is 3 cents per pack, compared with the national average of 38.9 cents per pack. Kentucky requires minimal to moderate restrictions on smoking in state and local governmental facilities, and does not limit workplace smoking in the private sector, compared with 23 states that mandate workplace smoking restrictions. (3) Allen County, KY, is a small, rural county with a population of approximately 18,000. (14) The county is substantially dependent on agriculture and includes many tobacco growers. Like many similar counties in Kentucky <onlyinclude> This is a list of the one hundred and twenty counties in the U.S. state of Kentucky. Despite ranking 37th in size by area, Kentucky has 120 counties, third in the U.S. behind Texas' 254 and Georgia's 159. , Allen County has done relatively little to reduce smoking by youth and adults, at least in part because of the influence of tobacco farmers and their partners in the cigarette industry. In recent years, however, the county health department and Allen County/Scottsville schools have been redoubling their efforts to reduce the initiation of smoking among youth and to encourage current smokers to quit. Despite these efforts, Allen County still has high rates of youth and adult smoking. The exact prevalence of smoking in Allen County is not easy to estimate. However, several indicators are available. In 2000, a survey of adult smoking was conducted at the Allen County Fair (data available from the Allen County Health Department). This was a nonrepresentative convenience sample of adults 18 and older attending the annual fair that year. The sample included 4,490 people (53.1% female). Approximately 37% of the sample were current tobacco users, and 80% of those individuals were cigarette smokers. In 2000, a drug use survey was conducted in the Allen County Middle School and High School (data available from the Allen County Health Department). School personnel, using instrumentation provided by the Kentucky Division of Substance Abuse, Cabinet for Health Services health services Managed care The benefits covered under a health contract , administered the survey. Questionnaires were administered to all students present on the day that surveying was conducted. Approximately 33% of 10th graders and 42% of 12th graders had used cigarettes within the 30 days preceding survey completion. In Kentucky as a whole, 36.5 and 42.1% of 10th and 12th graders had used cigarettes within the past 30 days. (15) Nationwide, 25.7% of 10th graders and 34.6% of 12th graders had used cigarettes within the past 30 days in that same year. (16) It is clear that smoking is a significant problem in Allen County. Environmental strategies are needed in addition to direct education and communication techniques for current and potential smokers. At present, the tobacco control program at the health department has developed a goal to reduce environmental tobacco smoke by restricting smoking in public places. One place of particular focus is the county courthouse. This facility is important in civic life in the county, because almost all citizens must enter the building from time to time for various kinds of government business. Currently, there is no prohibition of smoking in the county courthouse. The county judge executive indicated that he would support a smoke-free courthouse or perhaps restricted smoking areas if it could be demonstrated that that was the will of the people. Consequently, to make progress toward the goal of reducing environmental tobacco smoke, an objective was developed to conduct a public opinion poll in Allen County to determine the views of the citizens regarding smoking restrictions in the county courthouse. The survey also solicited opinions regarding smoking bans for restaurants and in workplaces as well as an increase in the state's cigarette tax. There is strong evidence of growing public support for bans on smoking in at least some public places. A November 29, 2000, national survey by The Gallup Organization found that 95% of Americans favored either a total ban on smoking in restaurants or limiting smoking to separate sections. (17) A total ban on smoking in restaurants was supported by 47% of the respondents, whereas 48% favored separate smoking areas. Support for a total ban was strongest among nonsmokers, 54% of whom supported a total ban. Restrictions on smoking in the workplace had nearly equal support from the respondents to the Gallup survey. A total ban on smoking in the workplace was favored by 37% of the respondents, with another 57% saying smoking should be permitted only in separate areas. It has been suggested that attitudes in Kentucky are less supportive of smoking restrictions than is true nationally. (18) It is noted that Kentucky is a major tobacco-producing state, has the highest smoking rate in the nation, and has the second-lowest cigarette tax in the United States, behind only Virginia. Some argue that because so many Kentuckians smoke and because so many receive income from tobacco allotments or by their employment in the tobacco industry, Kentuckians will not support restrictions on smoking in public places such as the Allen County Courthouse. Mainous (19) and Lacchetti et al (20) provide support for the above assumption that smokers will be less supportive of smoking restrictions. In both studies, data were collected by conducting telephone surveys. Mainous examined data from the Kentucky Health Survey, finding that the strongest predictor of perceived risk from secondhand smoke was smoking status. Significantly fewer smokers than nonsmokers reported thinking that secondhand smoke was harmful to health. Addressing the present issue more directly, Lacchetti et al found that in Ontario, support for smoking restrictions was lower among tobacco-dependent individuals but that a majority of them still supported some restrictions on public smoking. Also relevant is a Gallup Poll Gallup Poll Noun a sampling of the views of a representative cross section of the population, usually used to forecast voting [after G H Gallup, statistician] Gallup poll n → conducted July 9 to 11, 2002, which found that smokers were generally tolerant of increased restrictions on smoking in public places. (21) This survey found that only 39% of smokers felt "unjustly discriminated against" by such bans. The majority (58%) of smokers said the restrictions are justified. By contrast, a majority of smokers expressed Smokers Express (or Smokers Express Airlines) was a Cocoa Beach, FL-based company that would have provided smoking flights to destinations within the United States. Founded in 1993 by William Walts and George "Mickey" Richardson, the company never received enough funding to begin resentment about increasing cigarette taxes. Approximately four (79%) of every five smokers reported thinking that cigarette taxes are too high, but the majority of nonsmokers thought that they were either about right (31%) or too low (34%). Approximately two-thirds (68%) of the smokers said that they felt unjustly discriminated against by increases in cigarette taxes, whereas just 29% thought that the increases were justified. Hahn and Rayens (22) surveyed 116 (84%) of the legislators serving in the 1998 to 1999 Kentucky General Assembly The Kentucky General Assembly, also called the Kentucky Legislature, is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Kentucky. The General Assembly meets annually in the state capitol building in Frankfort, Kentucky, convening on the first Tuesday after the first Monday regarding their support for various tobacco policy options. They sought to identify regional differences in such support. They found that support for an increased cigarette tax was lowest in western Kentucky and highest in Jefferson County Jefferson County is the name of 25 counties and one parish in the United States. The following are named for Thomas Jefferson, third President of the United States:
No research seems to have addressed whether owning a tobacco allotment influenced citizen opinions regarding tobacco policies, but Mainous (18) touched on this point indirectly. In a survey of Kentuckians, the second most significant predictor of perceived risk from secondhand smoke was farm residence. Sixty-eight percent of farm residents thought that secondhand smoke was hazardous, whereas 87% of non-farm residents thought so. Given the prominence of tobacco in Kentucky agriculture, Mainous assumed that this difference was due to respondents who lived on a farm having an economic stake in tobacco sales. There was no attempt, however, to distinguish respondents who lived on tobacco farms from those living on other types of farms. Materials and Methods Data were collected by conducting telephone interviews. An interview schedule of 10 closed-ended questions was developed specifically for this study. The interview schedule included questions assessing support for smoking restrictions in the Allen County Courthouse, restaurants, and workplaces as well as support for an increase in Kentucky's cigarette tax. People also were asked about their smoking habits, tobacco allotment ownership, date of birth, and gender. Ethnicity was not examined, because the population of Allen County is 98% white. Socioeconomic status socioeconomic status, n the position of an individual on a socio-economic scale that measures such factors as education, income, type of occupation, place of residence, and in some populations, ethnicity and religion. was not examined, because of both the greater reluctance the researchers expected regarding respondents' willingness to answer such questions and the health department's lack of interest in this variable. Likewise, employment issues were not examined for the same reasons. These omissions of possible variables were also due to a desire to keep the questionnaire as short as possible to achieve a reasonable response rate. Telephone interviewers received brief, survey-specific training from the researchers. The survey sample was selected from listings in the Allen County telephone directory. Each interviewer was assigned certain specific letters of the alphabet alphabet [Gr. alpha-beta, like Eng. ABC], system of writing, theoretically having a one-for-one relation between character (or letter) and phoneme (see phonetics). Few alphabets have achieved the ideal exactness. and was instructed to call nonbusiness non·busi·ness adj. 1. Unrelated to business or industry. 2. Unrelated to one's own business or employment. listings under that alphabetical listing, skipping every alternate (ie, second) listing. This resulted in an initial sample of 698 households that were contacted. Specific interview subjects were selected on the basis of the most recent birthday method. (23) The identified subject was then asked to participate, and the person's residence in Allen County was confirmed. One respondent was eliminated as a nonresident non·res·i·dent adj. 1. Not living in a particular place: nonresident students who commute to classes. 2. of the county. This resulted in a data-producing sample of 374 people. This is 53.6% of the initial sample and constitutes a reasonably satisfactory response rate in today's atmosphere of negativism negativism /neg·a·tiv·ism/ (neg´ah-ti-vizm?) opposition to suggestion or advice; behavior opposite to that appropriate to a specific situation or against the wishes of others, including direct resistance to efforts to be moved. toward telemarketers who sometimes pretend to be conducting surveys. The 374 respondents included 130 males (35.1%) and 240 females (64.9%) with missing data on four respondents. Respondents' year of birth ranged from 1908 to 1984 with a median of 1953 (age approximately 49), with three missing cases. A majority (266 or 70.7%) of the respondents were nonsmokers. Twenty-seven (7.2%) smoked less than one pack per day and 82 (21.8%) smoked one pack or more per day. Eighty-three respondents (22.1%) reported owning a tobacco allotment. Interviewers rated each respondent's apparent understanding of the questions. They rated 230 (68.9%) respondents understanding as excellent, 87 (26%) as good, and 16 (4.8%) as fair. Only one respondent (0.3%) was rated as having a poor understanding of the questions. Results Courthouse Banning all smoking in the Allen County Courthouse was supported by 163 (43.4%) of the respondents. Setting aside certain areas for smoking was supported by 168 (44.7%) of the respondents. Twenty-four (6.4%) of the respondents opposed any smoking restrictions at the Allen County Courthouse. (Missing data = 2) Women were more likely to support a ban on all smoking at the Allen County Courthouse than were men (45.4% compared with 40%), while males were more likely to support designated smoking areas (46.2% of males versus 43.8% of females) or no restrictions (11.5% of men versus 3.8% of women). These gender differences were statistically significant ([chi square chi square (kī), n a nonparametric statistic used with discrete data in the form of frequency count (nominal data) or percentages or proportions that can be reduced to frequencies. ] = 12.1, df = 3, P = 0.007) however, as indicated above, the differences were quite small. The oldest quartile Quartile A statistical term describing a division of observations into four defined intervals based upon the values of the data and how they compare to the entire set of observations. Notes: Each quartile contains 25% of the total observations. of respondents was significantly more likely to support a complete ban on smoking in the courthouse than were younger respondents ([chi square] = 30.8, df = 9, P = 0.004). This difference also was small and accounted for only a miniscule min·is·cule adj. Variant of minuscule. Adj. 1. miniscule - very small; "a minuscule kitchen"; "a minuscule amount of rain fell" minuscule portion of the variance in attitudes. There was a small but statistically significant ([chi square] = 23.7, df = 9, P = 0.005) association between opposition to smoking restrictions at the Allen County Courthouse and smoking by the respondent. Eleven nonsmokers (4.1%) and 13 smokers (11.9%) opposed any smoking restrictions. Similar percentages of smokers and nonsmokers supported smoking areas (44.9% of smokers and 44.7% of nonsmokers) or a total ban on smoking (42.2 versus 43.6%). There was no association between ownership of a tobacco allotment and opinion regarding smoking restrictions for the Allen County Courthouse. Restaurants Banning all smoking in restaurants was supported by 99 (26.3%) of the respondents. Setting aside certain areas for smoking was supported by 243 (64.6%) of the respondents. Twenty-three (6.1%) respondents opposed any smoking restrictions in restaurants (missing data = 3). Opposition to any smoking restrictions in restaurants was proportionately pro·por·tion·ate adj. Being in due proportion; proportional. tr.v. pro·por·tion·at·ed, pro·por·tion·at·ing, pro·por·tion·ates To make proportionate. more common among men (11.5%) than women (2.9%) with a smaller preponderance pre·pon·der·ance also pre·pon·der·an·cy n. Superiority in weight, force, importance, or influence. Noun 1. preponderance of women over men in support of smoking areas (66.3% of women and 61.5% of men) or of a ban on all smoking (28.3 versus 23.1%). These gender differences were statistically significant ([chi square] = 12.2, df = 3, P = 0.007). Smokers were significantly more likely to oppose smoking restrictions in restaurants than were nonsmokers ([chi square] = 50.9, df = 9, P = 0.000). There was no association between ownership of a tobacco allotment and opinion regarding smoking restrictions in restaurants. Workplace Ninety-four (25%) respondents favored banning smoking in all areas of the workplace. Restricting smoking in some areas was supported by 230 (61.2%) of the respondents. Thirty-seven (9.8%) respondents opposed any restriction of smoking in the workplace (missing data = 15). Opposition to any smoking restrictions in the workplace was proportionately more common among men (16.2%) than women (6.7%) with a smaller preponderance of women over men in support of smoking areas (63.8% of women and 56.9% of men) or of a ban on all smoking (25.8% versus 23.1%). These gender differences were statistically significant ([chi square] = 8.4, df = 3, P = 0.037). Surprisingly, opposition to smoking restrictions in the workplace was greater among nonsmokers (33.1%) than among smokers (5.5%). Support for a total ban on smoking in the workplace was more common in smokers (16.5%) than in nonsmokers (7.1%). These differences were significant at the 0.000 level ([chi square] = 50.2, df = 9). There was no association between ownership of a tobacco allotment and opinion regarding smoking restrictions in the workplace. Cigarette Tax An increase in Kentucky's cigarette tax was supported by 132 (35.1%) respondents and opposed by 184 (48.9%). Sixty (15.9%) were undecided or expressed some other alternative. Men were significantly ([chi square] = 9.3, df = 2, P = 0.009) more likely than women to oppose an increase in the state cigarette tax (59.2 versus 43.8%). Nonsmokers were significantly ([chi square] = 87.9, df = 6, P = 0.000) more likely (44.7%) to support an increase in the tax than were smokers (11%). There was no association between ownership of a tobacco allotment and opinion regarding an increase in the state cigarette tax. Discussion The most striking finding would seem to be the fact that 88% of the respondents supported restrictions on smoking in the Allen County Courthouse. Even among smokers, 87% supported restrictions. Respondents also gave strong support for smoking restrictions in restaurants and workplaces. This in an area where smoking rates are high and tobacco production and sales are a major part of the local economic base. These findings seem to reflect broad support for smoking restrictions by the American public regardless of smoking status or economic interest in tobacco. Nearly one-half of the respondents opposed an increase in the state cigarette tax and slightly more than one-third supported such an increase. This finding seems inconsistent with the strong general support for the other tobacco control measures examined. It is also puzzling given that Kentucky has the lowest overall tax rate on cigarettes in the nation. In part, this may reflect an antitax bias on the part of the public. It is also possible that the respondents may misperceive mis·per·ceive tr.v. mis·per·ceived, mis·per·ceiv·ing, mis·per·ceives To perceive incorrectly; misunderstand. mis the level of tax currently imposed on tobacco in Kentucky. Future studies should directly address additional factors that may influence people's attitudes toward tobacco taxation. The major determinant determinant, a polynomial expression that is inherent in the entries of a square matrix. The size n of the square matrix, as determined from the number of entries in any row or column, is called the order of the determinant. of attitudes toward a smoking ban and cigarette tax increase was the respondent's smoking status. Gender was also a significant variable in attitude toward banning smoking in the Allen County Courthouse but accounted for only a small amount of the variance. Age also was significant for attitude toward a courthouse ban but accounted for an even smaller proportion of the variance in attitude. Ownership of a tobacco allotment did not prove to be a determining variable for any of the attitudes under study. Greater support by smokers for a workplace smoking ban than by nonsmokers may seem surprising to some but we believe that it is understandable. Smokers may perceive such bans as a reasonable accommodation Reasonable accommodation is a legal term used in Canada, which is the legal obligation to modify a law or a norm when it is contrary to fundamental rights stipulated in Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. compared with more pervasive limits such as bans on smoking everywhere on company property including outside areas and not just within the workplace. Some smokers may also see such a ban as a support for their own efforts to quit or cut down on smoking. The possibility exists that smoking status and approval of a workplace smoking ban are confounded with place and type of employment. A social desirability bias Social desirability bias is the inclination to present oneself in a manner that will be viewed favorably by others. Being by nature social creatures, people are generally inclined to seek some degree of social acceptance, and as with other psychological terms, "social desirability" may also be involved in the responses but it seems more likely that this would result in denial in denial Psychiatry To be in a state of denying the existence or effects of an ego defense mechanism. See Denial. of smoking than in endorsement of a smoking ban. These suggestions must remain purely speculative since no basis for evaluating them exists within this data set. Generalization gen·er·al·i·za·tion n. 1. The act or an instance of generalizing. 2. A principle, a statement, or an idea having general application. of these results to the population of Allen County must be tempered by an awareness of some of the characteristics of the sample. A nonresponse rate of 46.4% limits generalizability of these results. However, such rates of nonresponse are not uncommon in telephone surveys. In an era of telemarketing telemarketing, the practice of selling goods or services to customers by means of the telephone or of surveying consumer preferences in telephone conversations. , much of the public appears to have become less willing to answer questions for strangers on the telephone. It is also important to know that the data-producing sample differs from the Allen County population in terms of gender and age. The sample was 64.9% female and 35.1% male, compared with the Allen County population aged 18 and older, which is 51.7% female and 48.2% male. The median age of our sample was 49, compared with 36.2 for the county. (14) These findings should be encouraging for advocates of the public's health. There is evidence in them of broad public support for environmental restrictions on smoking. Support for a tax increase as a tobacco control measure is somewhat inexplicably in·ex·pli·ca·ble adj. Difficult or impossible to explain or account for. in·ex  pli·ca·bil weaker but the
proportion of undecided respondents is large enough to give hope of
winning public support. This study furthers the argument for continued
expansion of harm reduction through reasonable environmental
restrictions on smoking. Similar data are not currently available for
other communities with a strong economic interest in tobacco production
and processing and surveys in such communities could help replicate the
results of this study and help answer questions raised by this survey.
We were not able to find any such studies in the literature.
The only ultimate disaster that can befall us ... Is to feel ourselves to be at home here on Earth. --Malcolm Muggeridge Accepted June 30, 2003. Copyright [c] 2004 by The Southern Medical Association 0038-4348/04/9707-0645 References 1. McGinnis JM, Foege WH. Actual causes of death in the United States. JAMA JAMA abbr. Journal of the American Medical Association 1993;270:2207-2212. 2. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Noun 1. Department of Health and Human Services - the United States federal department that administers all federal programs dealing with health and welfare; created in 1979 Health and Human Services, HHS . Healthy People 2010: With Understanding and Improving Health and Objectives for Improving Health. Washington, DC, U.S. Government Printing Office, November 2000, ed 2, 2 vols. Available at: http://www.healthypeople.gov/document/. Accessed September 3, 2003. 3. Kentucky Department for Public Health. Healthy Kentuckians 2010. 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The beautiful ocean beaches, in particular La Jolla shores and Black's Beach, and sea-washed caves attract visitors and , CA, University of California, San Diego UCSD is consistently ranked among the top ten public universities for undergraduate education in the United States by U.S. News & World Report.[3] It is a Public Ivy. [1] For graduate studies, most of UCSD's Ph.D. , 1994. 10. Abt Associates. Independent Evaluation of the Massachusetts Tobacco Control Program (2nd annual report). Cambridge, MA, Abt Associates, 1996. 11. Chaloupka F, Grossman M. National Bureau of Economic Research The National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) is a "private, nonprofit, nonpartisan research organization" dedicated to studying the science and empirics of economics, especially the American economy. Working Paper No. 5740. Cambridge, MA, National Bureau of Economic Research, 1996. 12. U.S. Department of the Treasury. The Economic Costs of Smoking in the United States and the Benefits of Comprehensive Tobacco Legislation (Department of the Treasury working paper series). Washington, DC, U.S. Government Printing Office, 1998. 13. General Accounting Office. Teen Smoking: Higher Excise Tax Excise Tax 1. An indirect tax charged on the sale of a particular good. 2. A penalty tax applied to ineligible transactions in retirement accounts. This penalty is assessed by and paid to the IRS. Notes: 1. Should Significantly Reduce the Number of Smokers (GAO/HRD 89-119). Rockville, MD: General Accounting Office, 1989. 14. U.S. Census Bureau Noun 1. Census Bureau - the bureau of the Commerce Department responsible for taking the census; provides demographic information and analyses about the population of the United States Bureau of the Census . 2001 Population Estimate. Available at: http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/21/21003.html 15. Hahn EJ, Plymale MA, Rayens MK. Kentucky Youth Tobacco Survey 2000; Tobacco Use Prevention and Cessation Program. Frankfort, KY, Kentucky Department for Public Health, 2001. 16. Johnston D, O'Malley PM, Bachman JG. Cigarette smoking among American teens declines sharply in 2001. Ann Arbor Ann Arbor, city (1990 pop. 109,592), seat of Washtenaw co., S Mich., on the Huron River; inc. 1851. It is a research and educational center, with a large number of government and industrial research and development firms, many in high-technology fields such as , MI, University of Michigan (body, education) University of Michigan - A large cosmopolitan university in the Midwest USA. Over 50000 students are enrolled at the University of Michigan's three campuses. The students come from 50 states and over 100 foreign countries. News and Information Services See Information Systems. , December 19, 2001. 17. Saad L. Gallup Poll In-Depth Analyses: Tobacco and Smoking (August 2002). Available at: http://www.gallup.com/subscription/?m=f&c_id=9956 18. Samples K. Smokers in Kentucky have an attitude. Cincinnati Inquirer in·quire also en·quire v. in·quired, in·quir·ing, in·quires v.intr. 1. To seek information by asking a question: inquired about prices. 2. , Apr 9, 1998. 19. Mainous AG. Predictors of perceived risk from passive smoke among Kentuckians. Health Values 1991;15(4):13-21. 20. Lacchetti C, Cohen cohen or kohen (Hebrew: “priest”) Jewish priest descended from Zadok (a descendant of Aaron), priest at the First Temple of Jerusalem. The biblical priesthood was hereditary and male. J, Ashley MJ, et al. Is nicotine nicotine, C10H14N2, poisonous, pale yellow, oily liquid alkaloid with a pungent odor and an acrid taste. It turns brown on exposure to air. dependence related to smokers' support for restrictions on smoking? Nicotine Tob Res 2001;3:257-260. 21. Gallup Organization. Gallup Poll Analyses--Smokers Bristle bristle 1. the thick strong animal fibers collected at commercial abattoirs for use in brushes. 2. the sharp serrated awns of grass and some cereal seeds that confer a capacity to penetrate normal skin and mucosa and to cause ulcerative stomatitis, grass seed abscess and the like. Over Cigarette Taxes. Available at http://www.gallup.com/subscription/?m=f&c_id=11872 22. Hahn EJ, Rayens MK. Legislators' views on tobacco policy: Are there regional differences in Kentucky? South Med J 2002;95:324-330. 23. O'Rourke D, Blair J. Improving random respondent selection in telephone surveys. J Mark Res 1983;20:428-432. RELATED ARTICLE: Key Points * A majority of respondents supported either a smoking ban (43.4%) or restricted smoking areas (44.7%) in the Allen County Courthouse. * Women were more likely than men to support a ban on all smoking in the courthouse. * Smokers were more likely to oppose smoking restrictions in the courthouse than were non-smokers, but 88.1% supported some restriction. * A majority of respondents supported restricted smoking areas in both restaurants and workplaces. * An increase in Kentucky's cigarette tax was supported by 35.1% of the respondents and opposed by 48.9%. * Ownership of a tobacco allotment was not significantly associated with opinions on any of these issues. Richard Wilson There have been many people named Richard Wilson, including:
He earned his M.P.H. in at the University of Texas School of Public Health and his Ph.D. , PHD, MPH From the Department of Public Health, Western Kentucky University Student Body Profile WKU had a total enrollment in the Fall Semester of 2002 (the latest published figures) of 17,818 students. Out of this total, 73% were full-time and 85% were undergraduates. Ethnic and racial minority enrollment was just under 13% at 2,097. , Bowling Green Bowling Green. 1 City (1990 pop. 40,641), seat of Warren co., S Ky., on the Barren River; inc. 1812. It is a shipping and marketing center for an area producing tobacco, corn, livestock, and dairy items. , KY (Dr. Duncan is Duncan I (died Aug. 1, 1040, near Elgin, Moray, Scot.) King of the Scots (1034–40). The grandson of King Malcolm II, his accession to the throne violated the system in which kingship alternated between two branches of the royal family. with Duncan & Associates, Bowling Green, KY). Supported by the Allen County Department of Public Health. This study was approved through the human subjects review procedures of the Allen County Department of Health. No drug, device or equipment is mentioned in this paper in which any of the authors has a proprietary or other financial interest. Reprint reprint An individually bound copy of an article in a journal or science communication requests to Richard Wilson, DHSc, MPH, Department of Public Health, Western Kentucky University, 1 Big Red Way, Bowling Green, KY 42101. Email: richard.wilson@wku.edu |
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