Impact of local tobacco control policies on the prevalence of smoke-free sports clubs

Objectives

In absence of national legislation, local governments may stimulate outdoor sports clubs to become smoke-free. However, it is unknown whether and to what extent such efforts are effective in encouraging sports clubs to adopt a smoke-free policy (SFP). The aim of this study was to assess the association between tobacco control policies of municipalities and the prevalence of SFPs among outdoor sports clubs.

Study design

Retrospective, cross-sectional.

Methods

Information on Dutch sports clubs (N = 3068) was linked to information on tobacco control policies of municipalities (i.e., “smoking prevention policies”, “smoke-free environment policies”, and “smoke-free sports policies”) (N = 218). Multilevel logistic regression models examined the association between municipal tobacco control policies and the prevalence of SFPs among outdoor sports clubs, while controlling for sports clubs’ characteristics.

Results

We found a positive, dose-response association between tobacco control policies of municipalities and the prevalence of SFPs among outdoor sports clubs. The odds of having an SFP in place was significantly higher for sports clubs in municipalities with moderate “smoking prevention policies” (OR = 1.85, 95%CI = 1.18–2.89), strong “smoke-free environment policies” (OR = 1.95, 95%CI = 1.19–3.20), and strong “smoke-free sports policies” (OR = 1.66, 95%CI = 1.02–2.24) compared to sports clubs in municipalities with no/weak policies.

Conclusions

The results suggest that local tobacco control policies can increase the prevalence of SFPs among outdoor sports clubs. In order to create maximum effect, local policies need to be comprehensive and widely implemented.