Several specific population interventions that achieved a Class I or IIa recommendation with grade A or B evidence were identified , providing a set of specific evidence -based strategies that deserve close attention and prioritization for wider implementation .
Effective interventions included specific approaches in all 6 domains evaluated for improving diet , increasing activity , and reducing tobacco use .
The writing group also identified several specific interventions in each of these domains for which current evidence was less robust , as well as other inconsistencies and evidence gaps , informing the need for further rigorous and interdisciplinary approaches to evaluate population programs and policies .
This systematic review identified and grade d the evidence for a range of population -based strategies to promote lifestyle change .
BACKGROUND Poor lifestyle behaviors , including suboptimal diet , physical inactivity , and tobacco use , are leading causes of preventable diseases globally .
Although even modest population shifts in risk substantially alter health outcomes , the optimal population -level approaches to improve lifestyle are not well established .
A prospective investigation of the impact of smoking bans on tobacco cessation and relapse
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES To examine the long term impact of workplace smoking bans on  employee smoking cessation and relapse .  Over three years we studied a total of 1033 current or former smokers ( intervention group ) employed in smoke-free hospitals and 816 current or former smokers ( comparison group ) employed in non-smoke-free workplaces . The design of this natural experiment is a prospect i ve cohort study . We r and omly selected both hospitals and employees from 12 strata based on hospital size and state tobacco regulations , and sample d employees in the same communities . Main outcome measures were post-ban quit ratio and relapse rate . RESEARCH DESIGN Between groups comparisons were conducted using the Cochran-Mantel-Haenszel statistic for general association , stratified Cox proportional hazards models , and the CMH analysis of variance statistic based on ranks . McNemar 's test and the sign test were used to test for changes over time within each group . RESULTS Differences in the post-ban quit ratio were observed between intervention and comparison groups ( p ⩽ 0.02 ) . For employees whose bans were implemented at least seven years before survey , the post-ban quit ratio was estimated at 0.256 , compared with 0.142 for employees in non-smoke-free workplaces ( p = 0.02 ) . After controlling for a variety of factors , time to quit smoking was shorter for the hospital employees ( p < 0.001 ) , with an overall relative risk of quitting of 2.3 . Contrary to expectations , relapse rates were similar between the groups . CONCLUSION Employees in workplaces with smoking bans have higher rates of smoking cessation than employees where smoking is permitted , but relapse is similar between these two groups of employees . The results of this investigation have international applicability for policy makers , clinicians , employers , and employees . Countries should review smoking policies in workplaces in light of their own smoking patterns and efforts to deal with environmental tobacco smoke
Several specific population interventions that achieved a Class I or IIa recommendation with grade A or B evidence were identified , providing a set of specific evidence -based strategies that deserve close attention and prioritization for wider implementation .
Effective interventions included specific approaches in all 6 domains evaluated for improving diet , increasing activity , and reducing tobacco use .
The writing group also identified several specific interventions in each of these domains for which current evidence was less robust , as well as other inconsistencies and evidence gaps , informing the need for further rigorous and interdisciplinary approaches to evaluate population programs and policies .
This systematic review identified and grade d the evidence for a range of population -based strategies to promote lifestyle change .
BACKGROUND Poor lifestyle behaviors , including suboptimal diet , physical inactivity , and tobacco use , are leading causes of preventable diseases globally .
Although even modest population shifts in risk substantially alter health outcomes , the optimal population -level approaches to improve lifestyle are not well established .