Exposure to secondhand smoke in hospitality settings in Ghana: Evidence of changes since implementation of smoke-free legislation

Abstract

Introduction: Ghana has a partial smoking ban with smoking allowed in designated smoking areas. Studies evaluating smoke-free laws are scarce in Sub-Saharan Africa. Evaluation of smoke-free laws is an effective means of measuring progress towards a smoke-free society. This study assessed the level of compliance to the provisions of the current smoke-free policy using air quality measurements for fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in hospitality venues in Ghana. Methods: This was a cross-sectional observational study conducted in 2019 using a structured observational checklist complemented with air quality measurements using Dylos monitors across 152 randomly selected hospitality venues in three large cities in Ghana. Results: Smoking was observed in a third of the venues visited. The median indoor PM2.5 concentration was 14.6 μg/m3 (range: 5.2–349). PM2.5 concentrations were higher in venues where smoking was observed (28.3 μg/m3) compared to venues where smoking was not observed (12.3 μg/m3) (p