Cognition on smoking hazard and attitude towards smoking ban in urban residents of Changchun city

Objective To examine the awareness of smoking hazard and the attitude towards smoking ban in public places among the residents in Changchun city.Methods With multistage cluster sampling,2 233 families in Changchun city were selected and one member in each of the families was chosen randomly to finish a questionnaire.Results Of the 2 213 participants with eligible response,91.4%,62.9%,48.8%,22.6%,and 17.1% knew smoking being related to the incidence of lung cancer,heart attack,stroke,erectile dysfunction,and all the 4 diseases,respectively,with a higher awareness rate for smoking-related diseases(except for stoke)in the residents with higher education background than in the residents with lower education background.The proportions of the residents knowing second-hand smoking exposure being related to adult heart attack,adult lung illness,and child lung illness were 61.0%,83.8%,and 75.4%,respectively,with differences in the proportions among the participants with various education levels.There were 34.7% of the participants considering the hazard of light or low-tar cigarette smoking being the same as that of normal cigarette smoking.The support rate for smoking ban in restaurants and bars were 76.2% and 57.5%;compared to the smokers and the males,the non-smokers and the females reported a higher support rate for smoking ban in workplaces,restaurants,bars,and taxicabs.Conclusion Both the awareness rate of tobacco hazard and the support rate of smoking ban in public places are higher than the national average levels in 2010 in the residents of Changchun city;however,there still exists a deficit in the awareness of second-hand smoking hazard and more effective public education should be promoted for more efficient smoking ban in restaurants and bars.