Children’s right to smoke-free air: Public support in Norway for banning smoking in vehicles with children present

Background

Children have a statutory right to a smoke-free environment, and tobacco control advocates are now considering regulation of smoking behavior in the private sphere. The Norwegian Institute of Public Health has investigated the support for a ban on smoking in cars with children compared to other possible extensions of the tobacco act among the Norwegian public.

Material and methods

A nationwide representative survey (CAWI) of 5543 participants was conducted in 2014–2015. Respondents were asked to consider several possible new tobacco control measures, through selfreported ranking on 5-point scales for each measure. Multiple logistic regression models were applied to control for confounders (i.a. smoking behavior) for the tendency to state full support.

Results

A majority (78 % of all respondents, 61.8% of daily smokers) supported a proposal prohibiting smoking in cars when children are present. This proposal received substantially more support than bans on private balconies, in parks and at public transport stops and work entrances. Full support for the latter proposals varied between 39.9% and 58.1% (between 2.7% and 16.8% among smokers). Differences by smoking status were maintained after multiple controls.

Interpretation

The strong endorsement of the proposal (also provided by the majority of current smokers) suggests high legitimacy and compliance, which means that an implementation could be introduced without serious enforcement problems.