A geo-view into historical patterns of smoke-free policy coverage in the USA

INTRODUCTION: Ample evidence shows that implementation of smoke-free policies can significantly reduce tobacco use. The indoor smoke-free policy coverage in the U.S. increased over the past 25 years. This study synthesized the available historical smoke-free policy data and achieved two complementary goals: 1) reconstructed historical patterns of indoor smoke-free policy coverage in the U.S., and 2) developed a web-based interactive tool for visualization and download of the U.S. historical smoke-free policy data for research. METHODS: Historical information on local and regional smoke-free policy was downloaded from the American Nonsmokers Rights Foundation (ANRF). Subsequent methodological processes included: geo-referencing of smoke-free policy data, spatial-temporal data linkage, spatial pattern analysis, data visualization, and the development of an interactive tool. RESULTS: The percentage of population covered by the smoke-free policies varies across the different geographic locations, scales, and over time. On average, the percentage of people covered by the smoke-free laws in the U.S. increased substantially in the recent decade. The Tobacco-Policy-Viewer reveals geographic patterns of increase in smoke-free policy adoption by cities, counties, and States over time. CONCLUSION: The utility of visualizing the historical patterns of smoke-free policy coverage in the U.S. is to understand where and for how long smoke-free policies were in place for indoor facilities and to inform planning for education and interventions in the areas of need. The benefit of data provided for download, via the Tobacco-Policy-Viewer, is to catalyze future research on the impacts of historical smoke-free policy coverage on reduction in secondhand-smoke exposures, tobacco use, and tobacco related diseases.