Which countries citizens forbid indoor smoking? Greece is in last place

Only 44.4% of Greek households do not allow smoking, ranking the country last in a pan-European survey.

Research in twelve European countries published in the European Lung Association's journal ERJ Open Research shows that seven out of ten homes in Europe forbid smoking indoors.

Greece occupies the last place, as it was found that smoking is allowed in more than half of the homes.

Approximately 1,000 people in each of the twelve countries participated in the survey, for a total of 11,734 participants aged 15 and over.

The individuals selected represented the population of each country, and the interviews were conducted in person during the period 2017-2018.

A smoke-free home was defined as one in which smoking was not permitted indoors (balconies and other outdoor spaces were excluded from the definition).

About 70% of respondents do not allow smoking in their homes. An additional 18% said they have some rules but do not completely prohibit smoking. Of interest is the finding that about 13% of non-smoking homes still allow guests to smoke.

"Countries in Northern Europe have more smoke-free homes, while Eastern Europe and less affluent countries have more homes with partial smoking rules, allowing smoking in specific areas or on certain occasions," said Olena Tigova from the Tobacco Control Unit of the Catalan Institute of Oncology in Spain

England scores the highest of the twelve countries, with more than eight out of ten smoke-free homes (84.5%). This is followed by Ireland (79.4%), Latvia (78.9%), Italy (75.8%), and Germany (75%).

Portugal (74%), Poland (69.6%), and France (65.1%) are in the middle of the list. By contrast, in Spain, Bulgaria, and Romania, more than four out of ten homes allow smoking.

Greece comes in last place, with a below-average percentage of homes where smoking is not permitted (44.4%).

Among smokers, the percentage of smoke-free homes averages 37.3%, ranging from 25% in Spain to 54.8% in Latvia.

Of non-smokers, 81.7% report having a smoke-free home, with the lowest percentage in Greece (51.4%) and the highest in England (92.9%).

The rate of smoke-free homes in households where only non-smokers live is 87.3%, ranging from 60.1% in Greece to 96.4% in Portugal.

The researchers also examined other factors that appear to influence home smoking rules. They found that women, the elderly, people with higher levels of education, and those living with children were more likely to have smoke-free homes.

The researchers point out that the percentage of smoke-free homes in Europe is increasing by around 1% each year.

But as progress is plodding, more work is needed to protect children and adults from the health effects of secondhand smoke, such as stricter tobacco control measures.

"Expanding smoke-free laws in workplaces, public spaces, and some private areas like cars, combined with new strategies to reduce smoking at home, will help make more European homes smoke-free sooner," observes Ms Tigova.

The research team acknowledges some limitations to the study, such as the use of self-reported data from personal interviews, which may have overestimated the percentage of smoke-free homes due to response biases from social factors.

Also, the study focused exclusively on conventional cigarette smoking, and the researchers point out that future research should also investigate the use of e-cigarettes and other tobacco or nicotine products in the home.

It is noted that the Hellenic Cancer Society from Greece participated in the research with Professor Panagiotis Behrakis's research team.

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