A new survey estimated the percentage of smoke-free homes in Europe.
Seven out of ten homes in Europe are smoke-free but there are wide differences among countries.
A new survey of more than 11,700 people in 12 European countries reveals the best and the worst countries when it comes to smoking at home. The survey findings were published in ERJ Open Research, the journal of the European Respiratory Society.
The survey also found that nearly one home out of five wasn’t completely smoke-free but had some rules in place.
Which European countries rank the best and worst?
Greece came out at the bottom of the 12 countries with only 44 per cent of the homes being smoke-free, followed by Romania, Bulgaria, and Spain.
England was on top of the list with almost 85 per cent of homes being smoke-free followed by Ireland, Latvia, and Italy.
“With this research, we wanted to examine the home smoking rules across the general population in Europe. Although some national surveys have taken place, there has been no multi-country survey in Europe since 2010,” Olena Tigova, the study’s author from the Tobacco Control Unit of the Catalan Institute of Oncology in Spain, said in a statement.
“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,” she added.
Smoke-free homes were common among people aged 65 and over, women, those with higher education, and those living with children.
Since 2004, many European countries have implemented smoke-free regulations for public spaces.
However, private areas, especially homes, continue to be frequent locations for smoking and exposure to tobacco smoke.
The study did have some limitations including that it was based on self-reported data and face-to-face interviews so the prevalence of smoke-free homes could be overestimated. It also only took into account conventional cigarette smoking.
The risks of passive smoking
Passive smoking, also called secondhand smoke, is linked to a range of conditions such as lung cancer and heart disease, the same diseases smokers are exposed to.
Pregnant women exposed to passive smoke are more prone to premature birth while children are at higher risks of breathing problems, asthma, and allergies, according to the UK National Health System.
The study’s authors linked it to approximately 24,000 adult deaths in Europe.
The number of smoke-free homes increases in Europe by about one per cent each year, according to the researchers.
“However, at this slow rate, it could take another 30 years for all homes in Europe to be smoke-free. To speed things up, stronger tobacco control measures are essential,” Tigova said.
“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,” she added.
