Awareness, knowledge and perceptions of restaurateurs about proposed smoking restrictions in Johannesburg restaurants

35 Johannesburg restaurateurs in randomly selected restaurants were interviewed by telephone to assess their awareness, knowledge and attitudes to proposed smoking restrictions in restaurants. The response rate was 78%. The 89% awareness of proposed legislation was gained mainly from newspapers but only 29% of these respondents knew the correct details. The majority of respondents believed that there should be separate areas for smokers and non-smokers. However, 64% of respondents anticipated that their business would be affected and 55% anticipated implementation problems. The real and unfounded problems recorded from this essential informant group contributed to the amendment of the legislation and the development of educational material for Johannesburg restaurateurs.