To determine the effect of passive smoking on the development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) among persons who spend a long time in cafes. Materials and methods: The study sample included 348 male smokers who were older than 40 years and spend a long time in cafes. The questions were derived from the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) questionnaire. We also inquired about the nature of cafe visits (hours/day, visits/week, visits/month). Results: COPD was found in 18.1% (63/348 subjects) of the smokers aged >=40 years. In these 63 subjects, based on spirometry results, the rate of mild and moderate airflow limitation was 23.8% (15/63) and 76.2% (48/63), respectively. Of the 63, 60 (95%) had no previous diagnosis of COPD. After we had accounted for known risk factors for the development of COPD, we identified new risk factors: time spent in cafes (hours/day), the number of cafe visits per week (visits/week), and the number of cafe visits per month (visits/month), which had higher odds ratios for smokers without COPD (5.376, 2.721, and 2.337, respectively). Conclusion: Spending time in cafes regularly may contribute as an additional risk factor for the development of the COPD.

To determine the effect of passive smoking on the development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) among persons who spend a long time in cafes. Materials and methods: The study sample included 348 male smokers who were older than 40 years and spend a long time in cafes. The questions were derived from the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) questionnaire. We also inquired about the nature of cafe visits (hours/day, visits/week, visits/month). Results: COPD was found in 18.1% (63/348 subjects) of the smokers aged >=40 years. In these 63 subjects, based on spirometry results, the rate of mild and moderate airflow limitation was 23.8% (15/63) and 76.2% (48/63), respectively. Of the 63, 60 (95%) had no previous diagnosis of COPD. After we had accounted for known risk factors for the development of COPD, we identified new risk factors: time spent in cafes (hours/day), the number of cafe visits per week (visits/week), and the number of cafe visits per month (visits/month), which had higher odds ratios for smokers without COPD (5.376, 2.721, and 2.337, respectively). Conclusion: Spending time in cafes regularly may contribute as an additional risk factor for the development of the COPD.