CONFERENCE PROCEEDING
Impact of smoke free law on smoking status of Serbian adults
 
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1
Institute of Public Health of Serbia, Belgrade, Serbia
 
2
European Network for Smoking Prevention, Brussels, Belgium
 
 
Publication date: 2018-10-03
 
 
Corresponding author
Biljana Kilibarda   

Institute of Public Health of Serbia, Belgrade, Serbia
 
 
Tob. Induc. Dis. 2018;16(Suppl 3):A49
 
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KEYWORDS
ABSTRACT
Aim and objective:
Smoke free law came into effect in Serbia on December 2010. Law bans smoking in enclosed public places with exemption to hospitality sector. The aim of the study is to present changes in smoking status after the adoption of the smoking ban.

Methods:
We used data of nine surveys which are conducted since the adoption of the law. First survey was conducted at the time of adoption, followed by surveys three and nine months after adoption of the law and afterwards on annual basis. These surveys were conducted on representative samples of the ca 1000 of Serbian adults.

Results:
Three months after adoption of the law 22.9% smokers stated that smoke free law had influence on their smoking status in the way they stoped smoking or reduced number of smoked cigarettes. Percentage of smokers that reduced or stopped smoking reached 29.2% in the fourth year after adoption of the law (2014), followed by the decrease. In 2017, less smokers stopped or reduced number of cigarettes (21.6%) compared to the first year. The changes in smoking status by years were statistically significant (p=0.000). One of the factors contributing to the reversed trend might be lower compliance with the Law. Same surveys showed that also that in the fourth year after adoption of the law, percentage of people estimating compliance with the current smoke free law as not good, started to increase and reached 22,8% in 2017.

Conclusions:
The smoke free law contributed to changes in smoking status and patterns of smoking in Serbia. However, the influence of the smoke free law started to weaken in the forth year after the implementation. Contributing factor might be lower compliance with the law.

eISSN:1617-9625
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