| Summary: | Exposure to secondhand smoke (SHS) is a threat to individual and population health. The prevalence of SHS exposure is higher in countries with higher adult smoking rates. In Serbia, 37% of adults are smokers which is above world average. Current Serbian legislation allows owners to decide whether the premises will be smoke-free in case cafe/restaurants is up to 80 m 2 . Оtherwise, they are obliged to provide smoke-free area but physical division between smoking and no-smoking areas is not requirement.
Data regarding exposure and attitudes towards SHS exposure in hospitality sector in Serbia were collected in 2018 as cross-sectional study on representative sample of 1200 Serbian adults (18-64 years) that have visited hospitality sector in the last six months. Probability proportional sampling was applied aimed to include both smokers and non-smokers.
Exposure to SHS in hospitality sector in Serbia is high (88% in cafes, 73% in restaurants). More than half (52%) of the cafes visitors (19% smokers, 86% non-smokers) and 63% restaurant visitors (26% of smokers, 89% non-smokers) stated that exposure to tobacco smoke bothers them. Almost half of the visitors (46%) said that they are always or frequently exposed to tobacco smoke when they are sitting in designated no-smoking area of the cafe/restaurant.
Our data contribute to the current body of evidence that designated smoking areas in the hospitality sector do not protect visitors from the SHS. Therefore it is necessary to adopt 100% smoke-free law in Serbia.
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