Town-Level Characteristics and Smoking Policy Adoption in Massachusetts: Are Local Restaurant Smoking Regulations Fostering Disparities in Health Protection?
Margie Skeer, MSW, MPH,
Sarah George, MPH,
William L. Hamilton, PhD,
Debbie M. Cheng, ScD and
Michael Siegel, MD, MPH
Margie Skeer, Sarah George, and Michael Siegel are with the Social and Behavioral Sciences Department, Boston University School of Public Health, Mass. William L. Hamilton is with Abt Associates Inc, Cambridge, Mass. Debbie M. Cheng is with the Department of Biostatistics, Boston University School of Public Health.
Correspondence: Requests for reprints should be sent to Margie Skeer, MSW, MPH, Boston University School of Public Health, Social and Behavioral Sciences Department, 715 Albany St, T2W, Boston, MA 02118 (e-mail: skeer{at}bu.edu).
Objectives. We identified and quantified differences in sociodemographiccharacteristics of communities relative to the strength of localrestaurant smoking regulations in Massachusetts.
Methods. We examined the relationship between the strength ofthe 351 local restaurant smoking regulations in Massachusettsand a number of town-level characteristics, using a multinomiallogistic regression model.
Results. Characteristics important to the adoption of strongerrestaurant smoking regulations included higher education andper capita income, geographic region, voter support for a statecigarette tax initiative, board of health funding to promoteclean indoor air policymaking, and the presence of a borderingtown with a strong regulation.
Conclusions. The current pattern of smoke-free restaurant policyenactment fosters socioeconomic and geographic disparities inhealth protection, undermining an important national healthgoal.
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