Smokers’ responses to being addressed when smoking in an outdoor voluntary smoke-free zone: An observational study 233 6 for ten verbal and two behavioural responses. Observed verbal reactions were positive in 46% (n=121), neutral in 18% (n=48) and negative in 36% (n=96) (Figure 1). An understanding response was observed most often (n=121; 43%), employees more often respond guiltily (n=19; 73% of all guilty responses), whereas patients more often responded angrily than others (n=13; 87% of all angry responses). Verbal responses differed significantly across categories of smokers (χ2=29.3, p<0.0001). In the second period, more positive responses were observed than in the first (52% vs 31%; χ2=0.5, p=0.001). Figure 1: Verbal (A) and behavioral responses (B) to being addressed The majority of smokers complied with the smoke-free policy after being addressed, by either extinguishing their cigarette (41%) or leaving to continue smoking outside the zone (34%). Behavioural responses differed significantly across categories of verbal responses (χ2=117.7, p<0.001; Supplementary file Table S1). Smokers who complied with the smoke-free policy (n=204), had a positive verbal response in 59%, a neutral verbal response in 24% and a negative verbal response in 17% of the cases. Almost all smokers who did not comply with the smoke-free policy (n=69) had a negative verbal response (n=62; 90%).
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