Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2011, 8, 411-434; doi:10.3390/ijerph8020411 OPEN ACCESS International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ISSN 1660-4601 www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph Article Socioeconomic Variation in the Prevalence, Introduction, Retention, and Removal of Smoke-Free Policies among Smokers: Findings from the International Tobacco Control (ITC) Four Country Survey Brian A. King 1, Andrew J. Hyland 1,*, Ron Borland 2, Ann McNeill 3 and K. Michael Cummings 1 1 Department of Health Behavior, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Elm and Carlton Streets, Buffalo, NY 14263, USA; E-Mails: brian.alexander.king@gmail.com (B.A.K.); michael.cummings@roswellpark.org (K.M.C.) 2 Vic Health Center for Tobacco Control, The Cancer Council Victoria, Carlton, VIC 3053, Australia; E-Mail: ron.borland@cancervic.org.au 3 UK Centre for Tobacco Control Studies, Division of Epidemiology & Public Health, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG51PB, UK; E-Mail: ann.mcneill@nottingham.ac.uk * Author to whom correspondence should be addressed; E-Mail: andrew.hyland@roswellpark.org; Tel.: +1-716-845-8391; Fax: +1-716-845-1265. Received: 15 December 2010; in revised form: 10 January 2011 / Accepted: 25 January 2011 / Published: 31 January 2011 Abstract: Introduction: Exposure to secondhand smoke causes premature death and disease in non-smokers and indoor smoke-free policies have become increasingly prevalent worldwide. Although socioeconomic disparities have been documented in tobacco use and cessation, the association between socioeconomic status (SES) and smoke-free policies is less well studied. Methods: Data were obtained from the 2006 and 2007 Waves of the International Tobacco Control Four Country Survey (ITC-4), a prospective study of nationally representative samples of smokers in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Telephone interviews were administered to 8,245 current and former adult smokers from October 2006 to February 2007. Between September 2007 and February 2008, 5,866 respondents were re-interviewed. Self-reported education and annual household income were used to create SES tertiles. Outcomes included the presence, introduction, and removal of smoke-free policies in homes, worksites, bars, and restaurants. Results: Smokers with high SES had increased odds of both having [OR: 1.54, 95% CI: