Abstract
Background: The purpose of this study is to systematically review the literature addressing the effectiveness of legislative smoking bans and anti-tobacco media campaigns in reducing smoking among women. Methods: MEDLINE, PubMed, CINAHL, and ABI/INFORM were searched for studies published from 2005 onwards. Meta-analysis was conducted using a random effects model and subgroup analysis on pre-selected characteristics. Results: In total, 652 articles were identified, and five studies satisfied the inclusion criteria. The studies varied from school-based to workplace settings and had a total of 800,573 women participants, aged 12 to 64 years old. Three studies used legislative bans, one study used anti-tobacco campaigns and another one used both as their intervention. The overall pooled effect of the five studies yielded an odds ratio (OR) = 1.137 (C.I. = 0.976–1.298 and I2 = 85.6%). Subgroup analysis by intervention revealed a significant pooled estimate for studies using legislative smoking bans OR = 1.280 (C.I. = 1.172–1.389 and I2 = 0%). Conclusion: Legislative smoking bans were found to be associated with a reduction in the smoking rates among women compared to anti-tobacco media campaigns. Further research in this area is needed.
Highlights
The first report of the United States (US) Surgeon General’s Advisory Committee on Smoking found that cigarette smoking is a probable cause of lung cancer and poses a serious risk of death and disease for women [1]
Articles were considered eligible for inclusion in the present study if they: (1) evaluated the effects of legislative smoking bans and/or anti-tobacco media campaigns among populations that included women 15 years old or older; (2) evaluated smoking status before and after the establishment of legislative smoking bans or anti-smoking media campaigns; (3) had a comparison group included in the study; (4) reported quantitative outcome measures for women; and (5) were published in the English language in peer-reviewed journals since 2005, and available in full text
Search terms related to legislative smoking bans and anti-tobacco media campaigns were used to search four online databases including: (1) Medline; (2) PubMed; (3) CINAHL; and (4) ABI/INFORM
Summary
The first report of the United States (US) Surgeon General’s Advisory Committee on Smoking found that cigarette smoking is a probable cause of lung cancer and poses a serious risk of death and disease for women [1]. More than 50 years later, smoking is still the leading cause of premature death among women in the US and across the world [2,3]. Despite increased awareness of the harm caused by cigarette smoking, the effectiveness of global tobacco control initiatives has been questionable and the gains modest. The World Health Organization (WHO) predicts that cigarette smoking will continue to kill approximately eight million people a year, resulting in more than one billion deaths over the course of the 21st century [4]. The purpose of this study is to systematically review the literature addressing the effectiveness of legislative smoking bans and anti-tobacco media campaigns in reducing smoking among women. Three studies used legislative bans, one study used anti-tobacco campaigns and another one used both as their intervention
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