Outdoor Secondhand Smoke Exposure Findings

Public Outdoor Locations Investigated: Auto Shows, Festivals, Concerts, Public Beaches, Public Parks, Public Playgrounds, Public Building Entryways, and Grounds of Hospitals or Medical Facilities.

1. An overwhelming majority of Oswego County respondents (93.8%, increased from 91.5% in Oswego County in 2004) consider exposure to secondhand smoke to be harmful; 72.7% indicated they believe it is very harmful. This rate is significantly higher than the regional average of 90.9%. Over 85% of the current smokers (86.5%) consider exposure to secondhand smoke to be harmful.



2. Among the six types of public outdoor locations that were investigated, public building entryways and medical facilities are by far the most frequently visited by Oswego County residents (97.1% report visiting public building entryways in the past year, while 90.3% report visiting medical facility grounds in the past year).



3. Among those residents who had frequented these types of public outdoor locations, exposure to secondhand smoke was reported most frequently by visitors at public outdoor events and by those passing through public building entryways. Over 50% of the persons who reported visiting these two types of locations also reported that they are exposed to secondhand smoke at least sometimes when visiting.



4. There appears to be a large level of support among residents for reducing secondhand smoke exposure at the public outdoor locations studied. The greatest support for restricting smoking was reported for medical facilities or hospitals; 86.4% of the surveyed residents suggested either restricting smoking or not allowing it at all at medical facilities or hospitals. Support was also demonstrated for restricting smoking at public building entryways; 83.8% of the surveyed residents suggested either restricting smoking or not allowing it at all at public building entryways



5. Even among current cigarette smokers, there is a large degree of support for the notion of at least restricting cigarette smoking to certain areas at public outdoor locations. For example, 78.0% of the Oswego County current cigarette smokers believe that smoking at medical facilities or hospitals should be restricted or not allowed at all. Similarly, 72.4% of the Oswego County current cigarette smokers support at least restricting smoking around public building entryways.