Promoting worksite smoking control policies and actions: the Community Intervention Trial for Smoking Cessation (COMMIT) experience. The COMMIT Research Group.

Background: As an important aspect of the COMMIT trial, worksite smoking-control consultations and supports were provided to employers in 11 diverse, moderate-sized communities. After a 4-year intervention period (1989-1992), impacts on worksite policies, support resources for smokers, and employee perceptions were assessed in these communities and in 11 matched Comparison communities.

Methods: Data from two surveys are reported here. In each of the 22 COMMIT communities, a sample of worksites within each of four size strata were surveyed to determine worksite policies, activities, and resources regarding smoking. Data from employees were obtained from independent community-wide surveys of community residents.

Results: Overall, 44% of the worksites surveyed reported having smoke-free policies, with no differences between Intervention and Comparison communities. Thirty-seven percent of Intervention community work-sites reported offering smoking cessation resources or assistance for employees during the period of the study, compared to 31% of Comparison community worksites (P = 0.04). Employees in Intervention communities, relative to those in Comparison communities, reported greater awareness of stop-smoking resources, but equivalent increases in worksite smoking bans.

Conclusions: Although the level of worksite smoking-cessation activities was higher in Intervention than in Comparison communities, there remains a substantial need to increase the level of such activities and to integrate such activities with restrictive smoking policies.