How big is support for smoking prohibition in public places in Kyrgyzstan among mining employees?

Abstract

Summary Background In Kyrgyz Republic, some, but not all, workplaces and public places have been designated smoke-free, but the extent of support for this is unknown. The aim of this study was to determine how big if any this support is. Methods A cross-sectional sample of employees at the biggest mining company in Kyrgyzstan was interviewed during their annual medical examination. A self-administered questionnaire on attitudes towards a full smoking ban at the workplace along with questions on knowledge and attitudes regarding the current legislation was used on 1881 employees, who lived mostly in Bishek and the Issyk-Kul area. Logistic regression was used to determine the predictive role of smoking, sex, and place of residence. Results Participants were mostly men (87.1%), aged 38.6±9.4 years. In general, the employees supported a stricter tobacco control policy in their company (59.2%), and 58.2% supported a full smoking ban at workplaces and 61.5% in dwelling rooms at the mining site. The current tobacco control Law was familiar to 63% of employees (49% women). Of 668 participants, 85% indicated full support for the smoking ban in public places, and 77% supported full prohibition of smoking in places where smoking was currently partially banned. Smokers were less likely to support a full smoking ban in places with a current partial ban (OR 0.52; 0.35–0.75). Conclusions The level of awareness of the tobacco control legislation was very low among Kyrgyzstan mining employees. They supported the full smoking ban in places where smoking was already prohibited and a full smoking ban in places where smoking was currently only restricted.