The Combined Effect of Behavioral Intention and Exposure to a Smoke-Free Air Law on Taking Measures to Quit Smoking

Abstract

Because of the large burden of disease attributable to cigarette smoking, a variety of tobacco control interventions, some focused on changing individual behavior and others focused on influencing societal norms, have been introduced. The current study tested the combined effect of behavioral intention and exposure to a comprehensive smoke-free air law as a prospective predictor of taking measures to quit smoking. Participants were 187 adults living in 7 Texas cities, 3 with a comprehensive smoke-free air law and 4 without such a law, who reported current cigarette smoking at baseline and completed a 1-month follow-up interview. Data were collected by telephone administration of a questionnaire. Results showed that, compared with smokers with low behavioral intention to take measures to quit smoking and no exposure to a comprehensive smoke-free air law, the smokers with high behavioral intention and exposure to a comprehensive law had the greatest odds of taking measures to quit smoking. This longitudinal study provides further evidence that the most successful smoking cessation campaigns will be multifaceted addressing individual factors with educational strategies designed to change beliefs and intentions and environmental factors with policy-based interventions.

Keywords

public health laws policies cessation tobacco prevention and control behavior change theory

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