Socioeconomic Impacts of Expansion of Non-Smoking Areas: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Countries that ratified the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) have an obligation to protect people from exposure to tobacco smoke in all indoor places. Methods/Statistical analysis: In order to identify the bases of economic or other impacts of the increased number of non-smoking zones, Whitlock's (2008) systematic literature review method was adopted. With the key question of What kinds of changes can the designation and expansion of non-smoking areas make the review used Ovid-Medline and CENTRAL as databases for the literature search while utilizing DB pia, KoreaMed, Riss, NDSL, KISS for the domestic literature search. Findings: The systematic literature review suggested that all businesses, except for bars, showed generally positive economic impacts resulting from expansion of non-smoking zones, though there were some discrepancies across different business types. These results were more distinct in studies funded by organizations unrelated to tobacco companies and those of high-quality research.