New Delhi, March 25 : Over 60 percent Indians stay away from smoking at home if they are prohibited to smoke at workplaces, a new study released here said.

According to the 'Global Adult Tobacco Survey India', published by Imperial College London and the Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI), 64 percent of adults who are barred from smoking at work stay away from it at home as well.

The findings suggest that the implementation of smoke-free legislation in India may have resulted in substantial health benefits for the population, particularly for women and children.

"In India, there is good evidence that smoke-free laws in workplaces are associated with a reduction in second-hand smoke at home," said John Tayu Lee, from the School of Public Health at Imperial College London, who led the study.

"The results support the idea of 'norm spreading', whereby restrictions on smoking in public places make it seem less acceptable to expose others to second-hand smoke more generally, including at home," said Christopher Millett, School of Public Health at Imperial College.

As per the survey, there are 110 million smokers in India.

National legislation prohibiting smoking in public places and workplaces was introduced in 2008, but the law is not comprehensive as it permits designated smoking areas in large restaurants and hotels.

Nationally, 30 percent of adults report being exposed to second-hand smoke at work, with 52 percent getting exposed at home.(IANS)