Browsing by Author "Fong, Geoffrey"

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    People who smoke and formerly smoked do support a smoking ban in open spaces during and after the COVID-19 pandemic in Spain
    (2025) Peruga, Armando; Fu, Marcela; Castellano, Yolanda; Tigova, Olena; Driezen, Pete; Quah, Anne; Fong, Geoffrey; Fernández, Esteve
    Background: Spain implemented an extensive outdoor smoking ban during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. We examined support for this restriction during and beyond the pandemic among people who currently and formerly smoked. Methods: Cross-sectional study. The 2021 ITC EUREST-PLUS Spain Survey used a multistage sampling to obtain a representative sample of people who currently or formerly smoked (n=1006). We estimated prevalence ratios (PRs) to examine associations with ban support during and after the pandemic. Analyses accounted for the complex sampling design and were weighted to ensure representativeness. Results: Most people who currently (79.2%) and formerly smoked (94.6%) supported the outdoor smoking ban when a safe interpersonal distance could not be maintained during the pandemic. Support for a permanent ban remained substantial (61.4% and 87.2%, respectively). Those who currently smoke were more likely to support bans during and after the pandemic if they had smoke-free homes (PR=1.11; PR=1.29, respectively), understood secondhand smoke harms to health (PR=1.40; PR=1.65), had tried to quit (PR=1.14; PR=1.30) and self-reported as healthy (PR=1.40; PR=1.47). Those who formerly smoked were more likely to support bans during the pandemic if they had smoke-free homes (PR=1.08) and did not self-report as healthy (PR=0.95); and after the pandemic if they had quit smoking for ≥6 months (PR=1.23) and used alternative tobacco products (PR=1.17). Conclusions: Most people who currently or formerly smoked in Spain supported the outdoor smoking ban during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. This high acceptance suggests that the pandemic may have created an opportunity to strengthen tobacco control.

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