Impact of socioeconomic deprivation and type of facility on perceptions of the Scottish smoke-free legislation

Abstract

First paragraph: The Smoking, Health and Social Care (Scotland) Act 2005 prohibited smoking in all wholly and substantially enclosed public places in Scotland from 26 March 2006. The Act requires owners and managers to take ‘all reasonable precautions' to prevent smoking and to maintain written records of breaches. The hospitality sector expressed concerns that a total ban might be difficult to enforce and adversely affect business.1 One year post-legislation, we administered a structured questionnaire, by telephone, to the managers of all non-food-serving bars and unlicensed cafe´s in East Ayrshire, Scotland, to determine perceptions of the legislation and its impact on business, and whether these varied according to whether facilities served food and alcohol, and by the deprivation category of their location.