Local bar patrons support smoke free bars

KING COUNTY, WASHINGTON - People in King and Pierce Counties who enjoy visiting their local pub or dropping into a bar or club after work would prefer to make those visits without being bothered by second hand smoke, according to a new report by Public Health - Seattle & King County.

"This report confirms what health advocates have stated and many bar owners know first hand: smoke free is good for health and good for business," said King County Executive Ron Sims.

The report is the culmination of a three-year grant to assess the effectiveness of King and Pierce Counties approaches to increasing awareness of the harm of secondhand smoke and support for smokefree bars.

According to the report, which surveyed 3,209 residents of King and Pierce Counties:

• large majorities (90.5%) consider second-hand smoke harmful and are either very or somewhat concerned (75.5%) with second-hand smoke.
• 60% of respondents indicated that they had avoided bars over the past 12 months because they are bothered by smoke.
• 77% of all respondents and 59 % of bar patrons surveyed support a ban on smoking in all workplaces, including bars.

Among those surveyed, the report found that the Pierce County ban on smoking in establishments enacted in January 2004 was not accompanied by reduced patronage of such establishments. It also indicated that bar and restaurant business may increase significantly with a ban. For every four persons who would go out to bars more often after a ban, one person indicated that she or he would go less.

"Workers of bars and restaurants deserve clean air, just like all other workers," said Carolyn Edmonds, King County Councilmember and Board of Health Chair. "And now we also know that what is good for workers' health is also good for business."

"We know that secondhand smoke can kill, and the only way for patrons and employees to avoid the harmful effects of secondhand smoke is to be in smokefree environments," said Dorothy Teeter, Interim Director and Health Officer for Public Health - Seattle & King County.

"Businesses can't survive if they ignore public opinion and their own customers. This survey reinforces that it is in their best interest to go smoke free," said Dr. Federico Cruz-Uribe, Director of Health, Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department.

Secondhand smoke contains over 4,000 chemicals, including more nicotine, tar, carbon monoxide, and cancer causing chemicals than smoke inhaled directly from a cigarette. Secondhand smoke exposure also contributes to respiratory problems in young children and infants.

A separate survey of hospitality workers released earlier this year showed that over 70 percent of these workers in King County would prefer to work in a smoke free environment.

This latest survey, conducted by Gilmore Research Group, analyzed by the Group Health Community Foundation and funded by the Washington State Department of Health, includes responses from 2003 and 2005. The full report, "Attitudes toward a workplace smoking ban and patronizing alcohol-serving establishments in King and Pierce Counties, Washington," can be found on the Tobacco Prevention Program's web site: www.kingcounty.gov/health/tobacco

Through its smoke-free restaurant activities, Public Health - Seattle & King County encourages and supports restaurants throughout King County to become smoke-free. Currently, 28% of restaurants still allow smoking.

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