Encouraging smoking policies in restaurants N Fakher-Eldin, DMS, MSc, MD Assistant Health Promotion Manager

THIS study quantifies the extent of smoking policies in eating places in Northampton District Health Authority and examines the effectiveness of the sur-vey method in stimulating further policy development. INVOLUNTARY smoking of environmental tobacco smoke- passive smoking- is harmful ’ &dquo;’~. The Tobacco Advisory Council accepts that some people find smok-ll1g &dquo;genuinely distasteful&dquo;5 7. These facts, allied to the gradual decline in the number of smokers among the adult population (in 1988 only 33 per cent of males and 30 per cent of females were smokers’), means that it is increasingly imperative for health promotion workers to seek ways to mcrease the provision of smoke-free environments. Many public services have banned smoking altogether and Action on Smoking and Health (Ash) reports an increase in the number of workplaces with a smoking policy&dquo;. In the last two years Ash, in con-junction with the Health Education Authority (HEA) and others, embarked on the Bon Appetit project. Its prime aim was to encourage restaurants to establish smoke-free areas for their customers&dquo;’. However, it seems that mformation on the extent of smoking poli-cies in restaurants and cafeterias or health promotion initiatives within these places, is still inadequate. This study was an attempt to quantify the extent of smoking policies in one district health authonty and to examine the feasibihty and effectiveness of a low-cost campaign in creating pohcies in the catering industry