Informing population-specific smoking policy development for college campuses: An observational study

Abstract

INTRODUCTION In Canada, young adults have the highest smoking rates among all other population groups and specifically college students are at a higher risk. To implement effective policies that can prevent smoking and increase cessation, a populationspecific approach is recommended. METHODS Smoking and non-smoking young adults enrolled in a college program were recruited. Participants who did not smoke were asked to complete questionnaires about their demographics, college experience and the college environment. Additionally, they completed The Perceived Stress Scale and The Center for Epidemiologic Studies -Depression Scale. Students who were current smokers completed the same questionnaires with the addition of one questionnaire about their smoking behaviors. Percentages, means and standard deviations were used to describe the variables of interest and a chi-squared analysis was performed, when possible, to test the difference in response frequency between smoking and nonsmoking participants. RESULTS Differences were observed between smoking (n=65) and non-smoking students (n=214). Specifically, smokers were more likely to have a family member that smoked and to participate in binge drinking. Both groups indicated that they are unaware of campus smoking regulations; however smokers were more opposed to implementing smoke-free policies. CONCLUSIONS College students are unaware of campus smoking regulations. The descriptive information and differences observed between smoking and non-smoking students in this study should be taken into consideration when developing future smoking regulations/policies on college campuses. INTRODUCTIONSmoking cigarettes is the leading cause of preventable death around the world 1 . In Canada, young adults (20-24 years) report the highest smoking frequency compared to other age groups and have demonstrated the least decline towards cessation 2 . This trend may be due in part to the fact that the majority of prevention and smoking cessation efforts have been directed towards youth and older adults, while young adults have been overlooked in areas of research, practice and policy [3][4][5] . Furthermore, young adults who are at an increased risk of smoking are students enrolled at Canadian colleges, specifically in trade and technical training programs. In Canada, colleges typically provide hands-on training tailored for specific careers (i.e. electrician, chef, fitness professional, carpenter) and predominantly include one-to two-year certificate or diploma programs 6 . Whereas most university programs are three to four years and include a Bachelor's degree that may be used for further education (i.e. Master's degree) and/or professional schools (i.e. medical schools 6 ). Compared to traditional 4-year university students, college students demonstrate significantly higher cigarette smoking rates (20.2% vs 29.6%, respectively 7 ). This

Smoking zones versus smoke-free zones on Canadian post-secondary campuses: Which zone is more effective, adhered to and preferred?

“…Additionally, the possibility of an educational intervention to increase the compliance and change smoker's negative attitudes towards smoke-free or smoking zone use warrants investigation. Consistent with the findings of Fitzgeorge et al 13 , the majority of smokers questioned on either campus using smoking zones intended to quit. Future work comparing associations between different policies (smoking zones, smoke-free campuses, smoke-free zones) and the perceptions, attitudes, and behaviours of smokers planning a quit attempt could assist health promotion strategists to create optimal cessation environments and interventions.…”

“…Students who identified as currently smoking , were ≥18 years of age and attending one of the two sites were recruited for this study. Based on the work published by Fitzgeorge et al 13 , the target sample size was 65 smokers from each site (total sample of 130 completed surveys). This study was approved by the Research and Ethics Boards of Western University and Fanshawe College.…”

“…Recent work done by Fitzgeorge et al 13 compared the demographics and attitudes on smokingrelated topics between smokers and non-smokers on a Canadian college campus (Fanshawe) and determined that differences were observed related to opinions on implementing smoking-regulations. Specifically, smokers were less likely to want a smoke-free campus than non-smokers.…”