Completely banning tobacco use inside the home - or more broadly in the whole city - measurably boosts the odds of smokers either cutting back or quitting entirely.

Researchers from the University of California - the first state in the world to ban smoking in public places in 1994 - surveyed 1,718 current smokers and found that total home smoking bans were significantly associated with quit attempts in males, but not females.1 Total home bans were more effective in households without children, possibly reflecting the ultimate goal of cessation rather than primarily reducing children's second-hand smoke exposure. Neither race nor income significantly modified relations between total home bans and smoking reductions.

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The researchers said: 'When there's a total smoking ban in the home, we found that smokers are more likely to reduce tobacco consumption and attempt to quit than when they're allowed to smoke in some parts of the house. [...] Having both home and city bans on smoking appears to be even more effective'.