Residents in major metros favour a ban on smoking in public places from October 2, said a study conducted by the Voluntary Health Association of India.
The survey was carried out by the Voluntary Health Association of India in collaboration with its Karnataka chapter, Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids, Manipal Hospital and American Cancer Society.
As per the randomly selected sample of 1,030 Indian consumers (ages 15-64) interviewed favour the smoke-free regulations. The survey was conducted in the cities of Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore and Kolkata.
Nine out of 10 Indian residents surveyed favoured the regulations prohibiting smoking in workplaces and public places (92 per cent strongly favour, with an additional 5 per cent somewhat favouring the regulations).
As for the view on second-hand smoke as a health risk, nine out of 10 say it is a serious (84 per cent) or moderate (14 per cent) health hazard for the non-smoker. In addition, 73 per cent of the residents indicate that it bothers them a lot when they are exposed to second-hand smoke.
Consumers in a few cities indicated that restaurants and bars would be healthier and more enjoyable if they were smoke-free.
About 83 per cent of residents interviewed strongly agreed that these places would be healthier and 97 per cent totally agree that it would be nice to go out and enjoy at local restaurants and bars without smelling like tobacco smoke when they get home.
