Going tobacco-free on 24 New York City university campuses: A public health agency's partnership with a large urban public university system

Abstract

The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene partnered with the nation's largest university system, the City University of New York (CUNY), to provide technical assistance and resources to support the development and implementation of a system-wide tobacco-free policy. This effort formed one component of Healthy CUNY-a larger initiative to support health promotion and disease prevention across the university system and resulted in the successful introduction of a system-wide tobacco-free policy on all CUNY campuses. Glassman et al (J Am Coll Health. 2011;59:764-768) published a blueprint for action related to tobacco policies that informed our work. This paper describes the policy development and implementation process and presents lessons learned from the perspective of the Health Department, as a practical case study to inform and support other health departments who may be supporting colleges and universities to become tobacco-free.

Student, Faculty, and Staff Approval of University Smoke/Tobacco-Free Policies: An Analysis of Campus Newspaper Articles

“…These findings provide a synthesis from a nontraditional data source that reflects the peer-reviewed literature, in which most people would prefer a tobacco/smoke-free campus. [20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27] It is noteworthy that there were universities with a relatively low percentage of approval for a tobacco/smoke-free campus. This may indicate either low interest in the topic or low support for tobacco-and smoke-free initiatives in these communities.…”

“…First, previous studies indicate that certain disparities exist among demographics regarding support of tobacco policies, such as sex, race, and smoking status. 20,22,25,29 University administrators and/or students conducting polls should consider including various demographics to tease apart approval from various groups of people on campus. Second, researchers should also consider studying how campus approval of tobacco policies is framed by campus newspapers, such as from a public health issue or a civil liberties issue.…”

“…These findings provide a synthesis from a nontraditional data source that reflects the peer-reviewed literature, in which most people would prefer a tobacco/smoke-free campus. 20–27…”

“…Several studies indicate that the most of the students, faculty, staff, and administrators approve of a transition to a smoke-free 20,21 or tobacco-free campus. [22][23][24][25][26] For example, Lupton and Townsend conducted a systematic review of 19 articles from both peer-reviewed and gray literature from the United States and the United Kingdom, finding that 58% of students and 68% of faculty supported smoke-free campus policies. 27 However, 2 studies suggest that only a minority support comprehensive policies.…”

Convergence as public health innovation: a case for tobacco control

“…Funding limitations can be circumvented by utilizing existing community facilities, employing community members, and sharing collaborator resources to minimize costs as well as assist in program implementation. 35 For instance, Bresnahan et al 50 describe a successful partnership between the NY Health Department and CUNY university, which was supported considerably by the provision of resources and technical assistance by the former. Innovative financial processes need to be appropriately developed in order to adequately incentivize and sustain convergence.…”