The situation of being supported and conformed to the tobacco control law by the people serving in coffee houses, cafes and restaurants in Kayseri

Objective: In this study it was aimed to reveal the opinions about smoking ban of the employers and employees in coffee houses, cafes and restaurants and their situation of being affected from the ban and the effects of smoke-free workplaces on smoking. Method: It is a cross-sectional type research done over 1161 individuals serving in 405 coffee houses, cafes and restaurants in Kayseri in October 2010. This survey including 25 questions was applied to people interviewing personally. Results: 41.4% of the individuals who took part in this survey fully supported the ban, 45.8% supported partly and 12.8% stated that they were completely against the ban. The rate of supporting the ban was significantly lower among those working in coffee houses, having smoking habits, working in places with no outdoor area and those who are employers or responsible for the workplace. 44.4% of the individuals pointed out that the number of their customers decreased after the legal regulation. 37.2% of stated that the rate of their customers unchanged and 5.2% pointed out that it increased after the regulation, 13.1% did not express an opinion. The rate of the individuals who stated that the number of their customers decreased was higher among those who work in places which don’t have outdoor area and work in coffee houses. 16.0% of the individuals stated that their customers always had positive look to the ban, 58.8% them pointed out that their customers got accustomed to it despite the earlier negative reactions. It has been found out the number of the cigarettes they smoke has decreased significantly both in workplace and daily compared before the legal regulation. Conclusion: It can be seen that these result have started to give positive impacts one year after the legal regulation although the support has not reached the desired level yet. The support to the regulation is thought to increase with making employees and particularly those who think smoking indoors may not be harmful conscious of possible effects of passive smoking to their own health. Key words: Smoking ban, support, coffee house, restaurant, passive smoking