Effect of smoke-free legislation on smoking cessation rates in teachers in Manisa, Turkey

Objective: This study investigated the attitudes of Turkish adults towards the ban on smoking in public areas and compared annual smoking cessation rates before (pre-2009) and after (post-2009) the ban became law, using data from a survey of teachers. Methods: A self-reported questionnaire was used to collect data from teachers in Manisa, Turkey. Annual smoking rates were calculated. Joinpoint regression analysis was used to identify when a significant change occurred in the annual smoking cessation rate. Results: Questionnaire response rate was 79.6% (579/727); 47.8% (277) of respondents were male. Smoking prevalence among men and women was 32.7% and 24.7%, respectively, and 97.3% of nonsmokers and 75.5% of current everyday smokers supported the law changes. Results of the Joinpoint analysis showed no significant change in annual smoking cessation rate between 2001–2002 and 2006–2007; but there were significant reductions in smoking rates between 2007–2008 and 2010–2011. Conclusions: Teachers in Turkey have a positive attitude to the law on smoking. The smoking cessation rate in teachers was significantly increased by changes in legislation.