Impact of a smoke-free policy on prisoners in Wisconsin, United States

Correspondence to : Dr G Pezzino, Wisconsin Division of Health, 1400 East Washington Avenue, Madison, Wisconsin 53703-3041, USA. Abstract Objective -To assess the impact of re strictive smoking policies in prisons on prisoners9 smoking attitudes and beha viours. Design A prospective observational study was carried out in a smoke-free prison and in a prison where smoking was allowed. Prisoners completed a question naire at the time of release. Smokers who declared that they would not smoke after leaving prison were followed up by tele phone or letter 2-4 weeks later. Subjects-31 ? prisoners leaving the smoke-free prison and 289 leaving the comparison prison after a stay of three or more days. Main outcome measure The likelihood that smokers leaving each prison were contemplating (planning or considering) to stop smoking. Among those contem plating stopping smoking, self reported smoking status was ascertained 2-4 weeks after release. Results Smokers leaving the smoke free prison were about three times more likely than their counterparts in the comparison prison to contemplate stopping smoking (21% 7%, < 0 001). Adjustment of the data for potential confounders did not change the results. Over 80 % of those from both prisons who were contemplating stopping continued to smoke or resumed smoking within two weeks of release. Conclusions Smokers leaving a smoke free prison seem to have a higher desire to stop smoking. This may provide an opportunity to target these often hard to-reach smokers with smoking cessation programmes and may increase the like lihood of success in their future attempts to stop smoking. Without support, most of these people will never try to stop smoking or will soon resume smoking.