Prevalence of Smokefree Home Rules — United States, 1992–1993 and 2010–2011

September 5, 2014 / Vol. 63 / No. 35

MMWR Introduction

Exposure to secondhand smoke (SHS) from cigarettes causes more than 41,000 deaths among nonsmoking adults each year, and approximately $5.6 billion annually in lost productivity caused by premature death. The home is the primary source of SHS exposure for children and a major source of exposure for nonsmoking adults. CDC analyzed the most recent data from the Tobacco Use Supplement to the Current Population Survey to estimate the national prevalence of smoke-free home rules among adults aged ≥18 years. The analysis found that the national prevalence of smoke-free home rules increased from 43.0% during 1992–1993 to 83.0% during 2010–2011. Over the same period, national prevalence of smoke-free home rules increased from 56.7% to 91.4% among households with no cigarette smokers and from 9.6% to 46.1% among households with one or more smokers.

The increased prevalence in smoke-free home rules observed nationally and across all states might be attributable to multiple factors, including the spread of state and local comprehensive smoke-free laws covering public places and work sites, and declines in smoking prevalence. Additionally, the substantial increase in the prevalence of smoke-free rules in households with one or more smokers and those in states with high smoking rates might reflect changes in public attitudes about the social acceptability of smoking around nonsmokers. Comprehensive smoke-free laws can stimulate the adoption of voluntary smoke-free home rules and increase support for smoke-free environments among both nonsmokers and smokers. As of April 2014, 26 states, the District of Columbia, and more than 600 local municipalities have implemented comprehensive smoke-free laws, and almost half (49.1%) of Americans are currently covered by these laws. Efforts to implement smoke-free policies in multi-unit housing, where residents who have instituted smoke-free home rules can still be exposed to SHS that enters their units from other units and shared areas where smoking occurs, would further protect nonsmokers from SHS exposure in their homes.