Peggy Toy is director of the Center's Health DATA Program and director of the UCLA-SAFE project to promote voluntary smoke-free apartment policies in Los Angeles. In this brief interview, Toy discusses issues related to recent surveys of tenant and landlord attitudes about smoke-free housing.
Q: According to your survey of apartment owners, 55 percent who allow smoking at their complexes said they would support smoke-free policies. How do you convince the other 45 percent?
What our survey found is that most landlords support implementation of smoke-free policies. However, many are unaware of their legal right to do so, and others need assistance. By educating landlords on the health and financial benefits involved as a result of smoke-free apartment living, I believe more apartment owners will support such policies, because the demand for smoke-free housing is high.
Q: In the city of Los Angeles, tenants in rent-controlled housing don't have to abide by new policies owners put in place, including a ban on smoking. What options do owners of rent-controlled properties have if they want to put a policy in place?
It is true that landlords of rent-controlled apartments face some challenges. However, we encourage them to seek voluntary compliance by tenants. Also, providing information on smoking cessation programs may help ease the problem, as many tenants who smoke would like to quit but don't know where to go.
Q: Some people say smoke-free policies discriminate against tenants. Do they?
Everyone's health ― even smokers ― will be better without exposure to smoke and smoking. There's no "safe" level of inhaling smoke directly or by being exposed to secondhand smoke. As we found from our tenant survey, 53 percent of those who smoke want to live in a smoke-free apartment. They are a victim of the addiction of smoking and most want to quit. So we are helping tenants by providing information on smoking cessation programs at area clinics and the California Smokers' Helpline. We want to make smoke-free apartment living a win-win for everyone involved!
Additional Information
The UCLA Center for Health Policy Research (CHPR) is one of the nation’s leading health policy research centers and the premier source of health policy information for California. UCLA CHPR improves the public’s health through high quality, objective, and evidence-based research and data that informs effective policymaking. UCLA CHPR is the home of the California Health Interview Survey (CHIS) and is part of the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health and affiliated with the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs.