Impact of smoke-free housing policy lease exemptions on compliance, enforcement and smoking behavior: A qualitative study
This paper investigates the impacts of smoke-free housing policies on compliance, enforcement and smoking behavior. From 2012 to 2014, we studied two affordable housing providers in Canada with comprehensive smoke-free policies: Waterloo Regional Housing that required new leases to be non-smoking an...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Elsevier
2018-06-01
|
| Series: | Preventive Medicine Reports |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S221133551830010X |
| _version_ | 1828493832948285440 |
|---|---|
| author | Pamela Kaufman Julie Kang Ryan David Kennedy Pippa Beck Roberta Ferrence |
| author_facet | Pamela Kaufman Julie Kang Ryan David Kennedy Pippa Beck Roberta Ferrence |
| author_sort | Pamela Kaufman |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This paper investigates the impacts of smoke-free housing policies on compliance, enforcement and smoking behavior. From 2012 to 2014, we studied two affordable housing providers in Canada with comprehensive smoke-free policies: Waterloo Regional Housing that required new leases to be non-smoking and exempted existing leases, and Yukon Housing Corporation that required all leases (existing and new) to be non-smoking. Focus groups and key informant interviews were conducted with 31 housing and public health staff involved in policy development and implementation, and qualitative interviews with 56 tenants. Both types of smoke-free policies helped tenants to reduce and quit smoking. However, exempting existing tenants from the policy created challenges for monitoring compliance and enforcing the policy, and resulted in ongoing tobacco smoke exposure. Moreover, some new tenants were smoking in exempted units, which undermined the policy and maintained smoking behavior. Our findings support the implementation of complete smoke-free housing policies that do not exempt existing leases to avoid many of the problems experienced by staff and tenants. In jurisdictions where exempting existing leases is still required by law, adequate staff resources for monitoring and enforcement, along with consistent and clear communication (particularly regarding balconies, patios and outdoor spaces) will encourage compliance. Keywords: Smoke-free policy, Housing, Tobacco smoke pollution, Smoking cessation, Qualitative research |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-11T11:45:35Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-12fef0e47267480292d3a0bfd211d011 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2211-3355 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-11T11:45:35Z |
| publishDate | 2018-06-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Preventive Medicine Reports |
| spelling | doaj.art-12fef0e47267480292d3a0bfd211d0112022-12-22T01:08:29ZengElsevierPreventive Medicine Reports2211-33552018-06-01102936Impact of smoke-free housing policy lease exemptions on compliance, enforcement and smoking behavior: A qualitative studyPamela Kaufman0Julie Kang1Ryan David Kennedy2Pippa Beck3Roberta Ferrence4Ontario Tobacco Research Unit, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, 155 College St., Toronto, ON M5T 3M7, Canada; Corresponding author.Ontario Tobacco Research Unit, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, 155 College St., Toronto, ON M5T 3M7, CanadaDepartment of Health, Behavior and Society, Institute for Global Tobacco Control, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, United StatesSmoking and Health Action Foundation, Toronto, ON, CanadaOntario Tobacco Research Unit, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, 155 College St., Toronto, ON M5T 3M7, Canada; Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, ON, CanadaThis paper investigates the impacts of smoke-free housing policies on compliance, enforcement and smoking behavior. From 2012 to 2014, we studied two affordable housing providers in Canada with comprehensive smoke-free policies: Waterloo Regional Housing that required new leases to be non-smoking and exempted existing leases, and Yukon Housing Corporation that required all leases (existing and new) to be non-smoking. Focus groups and key informant interviews were conducted with 31 housing and public health staff involved in policy development and implementation, and qualitative interviews with 56 tenants. Both types of smoke-free policies helped tenants to reduce and quit smoking. However, exempting existing tenants from the policy created challenges for monitoring compliance and enforcing the policy, and resulted in ongoing tobacco smoke exposure. Moreover, some new tenants were smoking in exempted units, which undermined the policy and maintained smoking behavior. Our findings support the implementation of complete smoke-free housing policies that do not exempt existing leases to avoid many of the problems experienced by staff and tenants. In jurisdictions where exempting existing leases is still required by law, adequate staff resources for monitoring and enforcement, along with consistent and clear communication (particularly regarding balconies, patios and outdoor spaces) will encourage compliance. Keywords: Smoke-free policy, Housing, Tobacco smoke pollution, Smoking cessation, Qualitative researchhttp://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S221133551830010X |
| spellingShingle | Pamela Kaufman Julie Kang Ryan David Kennedy Pippa Beck Roberta Ferrence Impact of smoke-free housing policy lease exemptions on compliance, enforcement and smoking behavior: A qualitative study Preventive Medicine Reports |
| title | Impact of smoke-free housing policy lease exemptions on compliance, enforcement and smoking behavior: A qualitative study |
| title_full | Impact of smoke-free housing policy lease exemptions on compliance, enforcement and smoking behavior: A qualitative study |
| title_fullStr | Impact of smoke-free housing policy lease exemptions on compliance, enforcement and smoking behavior: A qualitative study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Impact of smoke-free housing policy lease exemptions on compliance, enforcement and smoking behavior: A qualitative study |
| title_short | Impact of smoke-free housing policy lease exemptions on compliance, enforcement and smoking behavior: A qualitative study |
| title_sort | impact of smoke free housing policy lease exemptions on compliance enforcement and smoking behavior a qualitative study |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S221133551830010X |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT pamelakaufman impactofsmokefreehousingpolicyleaseexemptionsoncomplianceenforcementandsmokingbehavioraqualitativestudy AT juliekang impactofsmokefreehousingpolicyleaseexemptionsoncomplianceenforcementandsmokingbehavioraqualitativestudy AT ryandavidkennedy impactofsmokefreehousingpolicyleaseexemptionsoncomplianceenforcementandsmokingbehavioraqualitativestudy AT pippabeck impactofsmokefreehousingpolicyleaseexemptionsoncomplianceenforcementandsmokingbehavioraqualitativestudy AT robertaferrence impactofsmokefreehousingpolicyleaseexemptionsoncomplianceenforcementandsmokingbehavioraqualitativestudy |