Outdoor Smoke and Tobacco Free Policy: Changing Attitudes and Social Norms

Abstract

This paper examines the influences that daily environmental exposure to smoking can have on a youth's decision to begin smoking. It also examines if implementing outdoor smoke and tobacco free policies changes perceptions of smoking to make it seem more socially unacceptable. Smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in the United States due to unforeseen chronic conditions at the time of smoking initiation. Most United States adults report beginning to smoke before they turn eighteen. By examining what makes smoking undesirable to youth, we can implement policies which keep them from starting in the first place and save their lives.