ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: In 2005, the Spanish parliament passed the Spanish anti-smoking law. This legislation restricted tobacco smoking in public places, including recreation venues (bars and restaurants), but smoking was not completely prohibited in bars and restaurants. The law was enforced in January 2006. With the objective of analysing the impact that this law has had on the general Spanish population, the Spanish Society of Pulmonology and Thoracic Surgery (SEPAR) designed and implemented a survey of a representative sample of the general Spanish population on two separate occasions: in 2005 and in 2007 (12 months after the ban came into effect). METHODS: Two epidemiological, observational and cross-sectional surveys were performed among a random and representative sample of the general Spanish population, using the Computer-Assisted Telephone Interview system. RESULTS: In the first survey, a total of 6533 subjects were interviewed, of whom 3907 (59.8%) were non-smokers and in the second, a total of 3289 subjects were interviewed, of whom 2174 (65.9%) were non-smokers. The overall prevalence of exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) decreased from 49.5% in 2005 to 37.9% in 2007 (22% reduction). The greatest reduction in prevalence of ETS exposure was in workplaces (from 25.8% to 11%, a decrease of 58.8%). Smaller reductions occurred in the home (from 29.5% to 21.4%, a decrease of 27%) and in recreation venues (from 37.4% to 31.8%, a decrease of 8%). CONCLUSIONS: Implementation of the smoking ban resulted in a significant decrease in exposure to ETS.
