New York state clean indoor air compliance observational study: Ten years post implementation

In 2003, New York State passed a comprehensive Clean Indoor Air law that prohibited smoking in most public and private indoor work areas including hospitality venues such as bars, restaurants, and bowling facilities. This law is designed to reduce exposure to second hand smoke of non-smoking patrons and of employees who work in such facilities. A ten year follow-up observational study to determine compliance with the Clean Indoor Air law and the degree of cigarette smoking in a sample of bars and restaurants in each of the counties in New York State will be conducted in Spring 2013. Previously, follow-up observations were conducted one month before the law and one, six, 12 and 36 months following implementation of the law. In addition to routine information about the facility and the observation including location, seating capacity, time and day of observation, name of observer, etc. specific indicators such as smoking, presence of ashtrays, visibility of cigarette smoke, smoking-related signage, and presence of tobacco industry promotional items will also be collected. Observations will be conducted by locally funded contractors of the New York State Department of Health's Tobacco Control Program. Although previous observational studies have shown that compliance with the law has been rapid and robust in restaurants, compliance in bars has traditionally lagged. We will share findings from this ten year follow-up study and discuss general compliance and highlight the difference in compliance by venue type.