Smoke-Free Bar Policies and Smokers' Alcohol Consumption: Findings from ITC-4

Audience: Individuals at any level of experience who are interested in the impact of indoor smoke-free policies, along with those interested in the correlation between tobacco and alcohol consumption and the consequences of concurrent use of these products.

Key Points: Overall, changes in alcohol consumption were statistically indistinguishable between those whose bars became smoke-free and those whose bars continued to allow smoking. However, the implementation of smoke-free bar policies was associated with small reductions in the amount of alcohol typically consumed by smokers classified as hazardous drinkers, as well as small reductions in the frequency of alcohol consumption among heavy smokers. These findings were established using a prospective, multi-country cohort survey design. Participants were nationally representative samples of smokers from the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, and the United States, who were interviewed as part of the International Tobacco Control Four Country Survey (ITC-4) in 2005, 2007, or 2008 (N = 8332). 

Educational Experience: The audience will interpret the odds of changes in frequency and amount of alcohol consumption as functions of change in the presence of smoke-free bar policies over time.

Benefits: The audience will recognize the numerous smoking-related health benefits of indoor smoke-free policies, and will identify subgroups of smokers who may experience reductions in alcohol consumption following the implementation of smoke-free bar policies.