Time to Track Health Outcomes of Smoke-Free Multiunit Housing

• Published in: American journal of preventive medicine 2018-02, Vol.54 (2), p.320-322
• Main Authors: Thorpe, Lorna E., Feinberg, Alexis M., Elbel, Brian, Gordon, Terry, Kaplan, Sue A., Wyka, Katarzyna, Athens, Jessica, Shelley, Donna
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Accumulation; Bans; Built environment; Coronary Artery Disease - etiology; Coronary Artery Disease - prevention & control; Health hazards; Health status; Humans; Intervention; Involuntary; Neoplasms - etiology; Neoplasms - prevention & control; Passive smoking; Program Evaluation - methods; Public housing; Public Housing - legislation & jurisprudence; Public spaces; Respiratory Tract Diseases - etiology; Respiratory Tract Diseases - prevention & control; Smoke-Free Policy; Smoking; Smoking cessation; Stroke - etiology; Stroke - prevention & control; Tobacco; Tobacco smoke; Tobacco Smoke Pollution - adverse effects; Tobacco Smoke Pollution - prevention & control; Tobacco Smoke Pollution - statistics & numerical data; Tracking; Urban development; Workplaces
• ISSN: 0749-3797; 1873-2607
• DOI: 10.1016/j.amepre.2017.09.016

Tracking health outcomes of smoke-free multiunit housing. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) issued a rule requiring all public housing agencies to implement smoke-free policies by July 2018. A growing body of evidence has documented health hazards from second-hand smoke (SHS) exposure. Several factors have already led to significant reductions in SHS exposure in the U.S., including smoke-free laws in workplace and public spaces, adoption of voluntary smoke-free home policies, and decreases in smoking prevalence. Public housing residents are more likely to live in multiunit housing (MUH), a physical environment that facilitates smoke accumulation and dispersion, placing residents at elevated risk for involuntary exposure to SHS compared with residents living in detached housing. What is clear is that the right to live free from tobacco smoke should be afforded to all individuals if persistent harms are documented, regardless of income.