Breathe Freely (2004)
Group or Institution
Waikato Institute of Technology (Wintec)
Author(s)
Sara Gaustad, Taryn Glaslow, Jo Tissingh, Rebecca Barry, Stavey Price, Stacey Downs, Alicia Panettiere, Claire Ewington (Tutor: Alison Garlick)
Abstract
In the first semester of 2004, eight-second year nursing students from the Waikato Institute of Technology (Wintec) developed a health promotion project titled “Breathe Freely”. The students worked alongside Wintec tutor Alison Garlick and collaborated with Kate Dallas, a health promoter from the Population Health Unit of the Waikato District Health Board (WCHB). The project focused on the upcoming amendment to the New Zealand Smoke free Environments Act 1990, which will become law in December 2004 and addresses the issues of smoking in bars and restaurants.
The project started in March 2004 with a broad focus on the proposed amendment to the smoke free legislation and its impact on bars and restaurants in the Hamilton area. The issue was then scoped further to focus on gathering information from the patrons of a specific local bar about bars becoming smoke free. It was considered that this data would be useful to the bar owner concerned when implementing the requirements of the smoke free legislation and would provide the WDHB with information about effective ways to support other local bars through this process.
A literature review was undertaken to gain knowledge about national and international studies of the implementation of smoke free areas in bars, and an understanding of the issues around second-hand smoke. The Ottawa Charter, Treaty of Waitangi and TUHAN were used as the theoretical underpinnings for the project.
A questionnaire was developed to gather information from local bar patrons to identify views and ideas about the effect of the smoke free legislation on the patronage of a local tavern. The results of the questionnaire were analysed to provide findings, which were then developed into a number of recommendations to present to the WBHD.
Recommendations included community wide promotion and raising awareness in local bars about the smoke free amendment six months prior to the changes to the legislation taking effect. Also it was recommended that in situations where it is appropriate the option of outside smoking areas be supported post legislation in accordance with the Smoke free Environments Act 1990 to ease people into the changes and prevent any loss in revenue to the bar owners. Further studies to capture the views of these groups in relation to the issue of smoke free environments in bar were also recommended.
Groups Associated with the Research:
Population Health Unit, Waikato District Health Board
A full copy of the report is available from:
Research Connections
W-Block cnr Nisbet & Tristram Streets or
cnr Tristram & Ward Streets
Private Bag 3036
Hamilton 2020
Telephone 07 834 8841
Fax 07 834 8884
e.mail: research@wintec.ac.nz