Policy Support for Smoke-Free and E-Cigarette Free Multiunit Housing

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Tobacco Control
• Environmental Health

Background:

• Multiunit housing (MUH) residents are disproportionately exposed to secondhand smoke.
• Policies restricting smoking and e-cigarette use in MUH are being considered to protect residents' health.
• Understanding public support is crucial for the adoption of smoke-free housing policies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To estimate public support for prohibiting e-cigarette and cigarette use in multiunit housing (MUH).
• To identify predictors of support for smoke-free policies in MUH.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional online panel survey of 3,415 US adults (18-64 years old).
• Weighted multivariate logistic regression analysis was used.
• Examined policy support, sociodemographics, and tobacco use behaviors.

Main Results:

• A majority supported prohibiting smoking (76.9%) and e-cigarette use (74.0%) in MUH.
• Living in MUH did not predict support for either policy.
• Current smokers and e-cigarette users had lower odds of supporting these policies.

Conclusions:

• Majority support for smoke-free MUH policies is promising for policy adoption.
• Lower support among e-cigarette users warrants further investigation.
• Increasing e-cigarette use may be influencing social norms regarding smoke-free housing.