Local Restaurant Smoking Policy Enactment in Massachusetts

Abstract

The objective of this study was to identify differences between communities that enact local restaurant smoking policies in Massachusetts and those that do not. Using data from 314 reporting cities and towns, the authors determined that communities with restaurant smoking policies were typically medium-sized towns and had a lower proportion of blue-collar workers than non-adopting communities. Highly restrictive communities had higher median incomes and educational attainment than non-adopting communities. Since the creation of the Massachusetts Tobacco Control Program, the number and strength of restaurant smoking policies have grown.