Changing the "normal"

Outdoor smoking bans would have an “important effect”

Smoking can severely impair healing after operations

(Bild: Frank May / dpa Picture Alliance / picturedesk.com)

The EU Parliament has not been able to agree on a joint declaration on possible outdoor smoking bans. However, according to the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), such a regulation would have an effect on children and young people in particular: Smoking should no longer seem "normal".

If people were seen smoking less often, it would be perceived less as normal behavior. "This is an important effect on children and young people," explained the institution. 

A decision is now expected to be made next week on a recommendation from the EU Commission to extend smoke-free zones - for example to leisure areas such as public playgrounds, leisure parks and outdoor swimming pools as well as bus stops and train station areas.

Changing the "normal"
The acceptance of smoking decreases with such measures, as the introduction of non-smoker protection laws in Germany has shown, said Katrin Schaller from the DKFZ Cancer Prevention Unit in Heidelberg. "Suddenly it was no longer normal for people to smoke everywhere and for restaurants to be smoky. Instead, it was normal to go outside to smoke."

Cigarettes could soon be a thing of the past in public playgrounds.

(Bild: lesslemon - stock.adobe.com)

In this sense, outdoor smoking bans could contribute to fewer young people starting to smoke, explained Schaller - "simply because smoking is perceived as less socially acceptable and desirable".

The EU Commission's proposal to the Member States is merely a recommendation. The member states themselves are responsible for health policy.

Other countries are further ahead
In some countries, there are already bans on smoking in outdoor public spaces, said Schaller. "In Australia, for example, smoking on restaurant terraces is banned in several states, while beaches in Barcelona are smoke-free." Such regulations, which prohibit smoking in certain places, help to make some smokers think about their behavior, explained Schaller.

The fact that protective measures can be a motivation for at least some smokers to stop smoking is shown by the results of a study evaluating German tobacco control policy: from 2007 to 2009, around 14 percent of smokers gave up smoking. Just under 19 percent of these former smokers stated that the smoking bans introduced had been a reason for quitting. And almost a third (30 percent) stated that the new regulations helped them not to start smoking again.

Benefits also for smokers who remain smokers
Another effect of non-smoker protection laws is that people who smoke smoke less, added Schaller. "It can be assumed that a similar effect occurs when smoking bans are introduced outdoors." Sometimes it may simply be because smokers don't feel like leaving the cozy atmosphere of the beach or the Christmas market just for another cigarette.

The DKFZ went on to say that passive smoking should not be neglected in the discussion about outdoor smoking bans. "Even outdoors, smoking leads to pollution of the ambient air with harmful substances." Although the exposure outside is lower than in closed rooms, measurements on restaurant terraces have shown that tobacco smoke exposure can also be considerable there.