Smokefree workplace and public place laws associated with more smokefree homes in 15 low and middle income countries

Working with colleagues in India and England, we recently published the paper, "Association between being employed in a smoke-free workplace and living in a smoke-free home: Evidence from 15 low and middle income countries," in Preventive Medicine.  We found that, on average, people covered by legislation requiring smokefree workplaces and public places are 60% more likely to implement voluntary policies making their homes smokefree.
 
Here is the abstract:
 
Objective:To assess whether being employed in a smoke-free workplace is associated with living in a smoke-free home in 15 low and middle income countries (LMICs).
Methods: Country-specific individual level analyses of cross-sectional Global Adult Tobacco Survey data (2008–2011) from 15 LMICs was conducted using multiple logistic regression. The dependent variable was living in a smoke-free home; the independent variable was being employed in a smoke-free workplace. Analyses were adjusted for age, gender, residence, region, education, occupation, current smoking, current smokeless tobacco use and number of household members. Individual country results were combined in a random effects meta-analysis.
Results: In each country, the percentage of participants employed in a smoke-free workplace who reported living in a smoke-free home was higher than those employed in a workplace not smoke-free. The adjusted odds ratios (AORs) of living in a smoke-free home among participants employed in a smoke-free workplace (vs. those employed where smoking occurred) were statistically significant in 13 of the 15 countries, ranging from 1.12 [95% CI 0.79–1.58] in Uruguay to 2.29 [1.37–3.83] in China. The pooled AOR was 1.61 [1.46–1.79].
Conclusion:In LMICs, employment in a smoke-free workplace is associated with living in a smoke-free home. Accelerated implementation of comprehensive smoke-free policies is likely to result in substantial population health benefits in these settings.
 
The full paper is available here.