China’s Smoke-free Policies in Public Place and the Smoking Cessation Status of Smokers

INTRODUCTION: Smoking remains a major health risk factor and China is the world’s largest consumer of tobacco. Smoke-free policies in public places are a powerful weapon in tobacco control. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the association between smoke-free policies in public places and smoking cessation among smokers in China from 2012 to 2020. METHODS: In this study, we assessed the impact of smoke-free public places policies on smoking cessation situation among smokers aged 16 years and older. We do this by conducting a difference-in-differences analysis using data from the China Family Panel Study (CFPS) 2012-2020. FINDINGS: By 2020, about 60.2% of the cities were covered by partial smoke-free policies and about 38.5% by comprehensive smoke-free policies. Based on the results of the study, we found that the medium-term effect model (Model 2, 2012:2016; Model 3, 2012:2018) of the impact of partial smoke-free policies on smoking cessation was not statistically significant using 2012 as the study baseline; the short-term effect model (Model 1; 2012:2014; P< .01) and the long-term effect model (Model 4; 2012:2020; P< .05) were statistically significant; the effect of a comprehensive smoke-free policy on smoking cessation (Model 5; 2012:2020; P<.05) was statistically significant. CONCLUSION: China’s existing comprehensive smoke-free policies have had a modest impact on smoking cessation among the smoking population, and a strong, comprehensive national smoke-free law is urgently needed to achieve greater public health outcomes. IMPLICATIONS: Smoke-free policies are an important intervention to influence smoking behavior. This study demonstrates that comprehensive smoke-free policies in public places in China can effectively influence smoking behavior and show long-term trends in smoke-free behavior, while also reflecting the need to promote comprehensive smoke-free policies. This study provides a basis for the implementation of comprehensive smokefree policies into law and also provides a basis for policy makers.