Exposure to Secondhand Smoke Among Nonsmokers in New York City in the Context of Recent Tobacco Control Policies: Current Status, Changes Over the Past Decade, and National Comparisons

Conclusions:
There has been a large decrease in secondhand smoke exposure in NYC, although disparities persist. The decrease may be the result of successful policies to limit exposure to secondhand smoke in public places and of smokers smoking fewer cigarettes per day. Yet NYC residents still experience more secondhand smoke exposure than US residents overall. Possible explanations include multiunit housing, greater population density, and pedestrian exposure.

Implications:
Measuring exposure to secondhand smoke can be difficult, and few studies have monitored changes over time. This study uses serum cotinine, a nicotine metabolite, from a local population-based examination survey, the NYC HANES 2013–2014, to examine exposure to secondhand smoke in an urban area that has implemented stringent antismoking laws. Comparison with NYC HANES conducted 10 years ago allows for an assessment of changes in the last decade in the context of municipal tobacco control policies. Results may be helpful to jurisdictions considering implementing similar tobacco control policies.

Source: Nicotine and Tobacco Research - October 7, 2016 Category: Addiction Authors: Perlman, S. E., Chernov, C., Farley, S. M., Greene, C. M., Aldous, K. M., Freeman, A., Rodriguez-Lopez, J., Thorpe, L. E. Tags: Original Investigation Source Type: research