Are hospitality venue employees aware and do they support the State wide Regulation of Smoking Law in Lagos state Nigeria?

INTRODUCTION A law controlling tobacco smoking in public places in Lagos state, Nigeria was enacted in February 2014. This study examines the awareness and support of workers in restaurants, bars and nightclubs for the provisions of the law. METHODS This cross-sectional study was conducted in July 2014 shortly after the law was enacted. Three hundred and forty hospitality venues (restaurants, bars and nightclubs) were randomly selected one eligible worker was interviewed using a pre tested questionnaire. RESULTS Only 57.6% were aware of the existence of the law. Awareness of the specific places where the smoking is prohibited and the specific tennets of the law were very low. More than half of the respondents supported the prohibition of tobacco smoking in most public places. Many (47.1%) of the respondents felt that the law would decrease revenue, however majority (72.9%) felt that the law would reduce smoking rates. Support for smoking bans was associated with the presence of workplace smoking restrictions and a lack of tobacco sales on the premises. CONCLUSIONS Awareness of the State Regulation of smoking law was low however, many of the workers support many aspects of the law. They however, believed the law would negatively impact revenue. Mechanisms to educate these workers and deal with their misconceptions of the perceived negative effects of the law should be implemented. Monitoring the awareness and support of these workers for smoke-free legislation is essential, in line with the guidelines for Article 8 of the WHO FCTC.