0–3 hours versus non-exposure was 0.11 (95% CI: 0.07 to 0.17) and for more than 3 hours, 0.12 (95% CI: 0.09 to 0.18). For fairly high exposure in bars and restaurants versus non-exposure, the OR in the former was 0.30 (95% CI: 0.20 to 0.44) and in the latter was 0.24 (95% CI: 0.18 to 0.32); for very high exposure versus non-exposure they were 0.16 (95% CI: 0.10 to 0.24) and 0.11 (95% CI: 0.07 to 0.19), respectively. These results were similar for the smoking and non-smoking populations. Conclusion A considerable reduction in exposure to environmental tobacco smoke in the workplace and, to a lesser extent, in bars and restaurants, is related to the implementation of the "Tobacco control law". Although only initial figures, these results already demonstrate the effectiveness of strategies that establish control measures to guarantee smoke-free places."/>
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Table 1 Characteristics of the samples. Population aged 18 to 64 years. Madrid Region, Spain

From: Impact of the "Tobacco control law" on exposure to environmental tobacco smoke in Spain

  Period prior to the law October-November 2005 Period after the law January-July 2006  
  n % n % p-value
Total 1750 100 1252 100  
Sex      0.674a
   Males 846 48.3 615 49.1  
   Females 904 51.7 637 50.9  
Age group      0.473a
   18–29 461 26.3 336 26.8  
   30–44 707 40.4 479 38.3  
   45–64 582 33.3 437 34.9  
Educational level      0.001a
   University 532 30.5 410 32.7  
   Secondary, second level 512 29.4 430 34.3  
   Secondary, first level 487 27.9 286 22.8  
   Primary or below primary 213 12.2 126 10.1  
Number of people in the household 1750 3.5 (mean) 1252 3.3 (mean) 0.000b
People who work in indoor places away from home 1017 58.1 736 58.8 0.713a
People who have visited bars in the last month 1551 88.6 1055 84.3 0.000a
People who have visited restaurants in the last month 1321 75.5 906 72.4 0.054a
Tobacco consumption      0.550a
   Non-smokers 1195 68.3 842 67.3  
   Current smokers 555 31.7 410 32.7  
  1. p-value: Comparison period after the law versus period prior to it coming into force. a Chi-Square test,b t-test
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BMC Public Health

ISSN: 1471-2458

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