Compliance with Non-Smokers’ Health Protection Law by Restaurants in the Five Central Provinces, Thailand

Abstract

This study aimed to assess the perception of, observe the practice of and study barriers
to restaurant entrepreneurs in 5 central provinces about non-smokers’ health protection law. This
survey used structured questionnaire and observation. Purposive sampling selection was
conducted in 5 selected provinces receiving fund from Thai Health Promotion Foundation for the
implementation of smoke-free provinces in 2013-2015 by sampling restaurants systematically. This
paper reports results of the survey before implementing the activities under the Toward Smokefree Province Project.
The results show that restaurant entrepreneurs in the central region moderately
accurately recognize that smoke-free places enforced by non-smokers’ health protection law (55
from 100 scores). More than 70 percent of restaurant entrepreneurs accurately recognize that
restaurant is enforced to be a smoke-free public place but most of entrepreneurs of restaurants
did not know that market, public park, sport stadium, transit station, bus stop and train station are
prohibited to smoke (48% accurately recognize). In the obstacle study, 14 percent of
entrepreneurs showed that customers don’t agree to the strict for smoke prohibition in
restaurant, 18 percent of entrepreneurs showed that customers dissatisfaction with austerity on
prohibiting smoke in restaurant and 11 percent of entrepreneurs comment that the number of
customers would reduce after strictly applying smoking ban in restaurant. Eight percent of
entrepreneurs admitted that owners have ever faced conflicts with customers. In addition, 29
percent of entrepreneurs uncovered that they did not have knowledge on second-hand smoke.
However, this survey reveals that 68 percent of entrepreneurs admitted that customers accept
the strict for smoking ban in restaurant but this rate is still low.