Our Views: Ban may curb teen smoking
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Research suggests Louisiana might have gotten a bonus when it banned smoking in most public places, including restaurants.
The stated goal of smoking bans generally is to prevent exposure to secondhand smoke.
A Massachusetts study suggests smoking bans also might help to keep teenagers from becoming tobacco addicts.
The research indicates smoking bans discourage teens from using tobacco by curtailing their exposure to smoking in public places and sending a message of community disapproval, the study’s lead author said.
“When kids grow up in an environment where they don’t see smoking, they are going to think it’s not socially acceptable,” said Dr. Michael Siegel of Boston University School of Public Health. “If they perceive a lot of other people are smoking, they think it’s the norm.”
The four-year study tracked 2,791 Massachusetts youths between 12 and 17 to see how many tried smoking and how many became smokers, defined as smoking more than 100 cigarettes.
Massachusetts had no statewide ban in 2001, when the study started, but about 100 cities and towns had laws that restricted smoking in workplaces, bars or restaurants.
The researchers said they found youngsters in towns with strict smoking bans were 40 percent less likely to become regular smokers than youths whose communities lacked bans or limited smoking to designated areas.
The findings were reported in the May issue of the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.
