Smoke-free Ordinances and Youth Tobacco Use in Kentucky

Abstract

Purpose Determine associations of strength of local smoke-free laws and urban/rural location with cigarette and smokeless tobacco use among high school students in grades 10 and 12. Design Secondary data analysis from the 2004–2018 biennial Kentucky Incentives for Prevention Survey Setting Public high schools in Kentucky Sample N = 353502 10th/12th graders Measures County-level smoke-free law status from the Kentucky Center for Smoke-free Policy; Rural Urban Continuum Codes; self-reported last 30-day alcohol, marijuana, cigarette, and smokeless tobacco use Analysis Generalized estimating equations modeling assessed the association of law status and urban/rural location with tobacco use across cohorts, controlling for demographics and other substance use. Results Students in counties with a comprehensive smoke-free law were 23% less likely to smoke cigarettes and 16% less likely to use smokeless, compared to those in counties without a law. Students in counties with moderate/weak laws did not differ in likelihood of use for either product, compared to those in counties without a law. Students in urban counties were 14% less likely to smoke, but there was no difference in likelihood of smokeless use by urban/rural location. Conclusion Comprehensive smoke-free laws are associated with a lower likelihood of youth cigarette and smokeless use. Rural youth may be at increased risk of cigarette smoking relative to youth in urban areas.