Dataset Information

Becoming a tobacco-free campus: A survey of student attitudes, opinions and behaviors.

ABSTRACT: INTRODUCTION:The effectiveness of tobacco-free campus policies in preventing and mitigating tobacco use relies on students' perceptions, opinions, and adherence to clean-air restrictions. The purpose of this study was to gather data regarding student attitudes, opinions and tobacco use behaviors, one year following implementation of the tobacco-free campus initiative. METHODS:Data were gathered using an anonymous, online survey of graduate and undergraduate students at a public university, one year following implementation of a tobacco-free campus policy. Survey items included tobacco use behaviors, nicotine dependence, opinions towards the policy, challenges in policy adherence among tobacco users, and awareness of tobacco cessation resources for students. Analysis primarily included descriptive statistics. RESULTS:Of 108 respondents, only 18 were habitual tobacco users with most using: cigarettes, cigars or cigarillos (38%), vaping (17.8%), hookah (11.9%), and smokeless tobacco (11.9%). Several reported multiple use. Common motives for tobacco use were relaxation and mood regulation. Tobacco users rated a moderate level of difficulty in adhering to the policy. Only half of the total respondents were aware of cessation resources, specifically peer counseling. Most tobacco users (71%) believed that they could quit without assistance. CONCLUSIONS:Preliminary data show 21.8% prevalence of tobacco use within the sample. Information on student opinions and behaviors, including lower risk perception, dual use, and lack of awareness of cessation resources can inform more effective prevention and mitigation strategies, in addition to the tobaccofree campus policy. Further research is needed to monitor policy adherence and changes in student tobacco behaviors.

SUBMITTER: Pignataro RM

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7552852 | biostudies-literature | 2020

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Becoming a tobacco-free campus: A survey of student attitudes, opinions and behaviors.

Pignataro Rose M RM Daramola Charles C

Tobacco prevention & cessation 20200916

<h4>Introduction</h4>The effectiveness of tobacco-free campus policies in preventing and mitigating tobacco use relies on students' perceptions, opinions, and adherence to clean-air restrictions. The purpose of this study was to gather data regarding student attitudes, opinions and tobacco use behaviors, one year following implementation of the tobacco-free campus initiative.<h4>Methods</h4>Data were gathered using an anonymous, online survey of graduate and undergraduate students at a public un ...[more]

PMID: 33083682

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Project description:BACKGROUND:Tobacco control policies have potential to be an effective strategy for the reduction of smoking prevalence and secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure in tertiary educational settings worldwide. The aims of this study were to collect baseline data among staff and students, to measure smoking behaviours and attitudes towards introduction of campus-wide tobacco control policies within a UK higher education setting. METHODS:Cross-sectional study using data collected by web-based questionnaire administered to employed staff and enrolled students (undergraduate/postgraduate) at the University of Birmingham from May 2016 to April 2017. Information was obtained regarding demographic characteristics, tobacco usage patterns and attitudes towards a revised campus tobacco control policy using a 21-item survey tool. Logistic regression analyses were used to explore associations between participant characteristics and support for smoke-free or tobacco-free campus policy options, evaluated by crude and adjusted Odds Radios (OR) after controlling for confounding factors (significance level: P?<?0.05). RESULTS:A total of 934 survey responses were received, of whom 780 participants provided complete information on staff or student status and were included in the present analysis. Current smoking prevalence was 14% (N?=?109; 95% confidence interval (CI) 11.6-16.6). Overall, 66.3% (95% CI: 62.9-69.7) of participants supported a smoke-free campus; 68.5% (95% CI: 65.2-71.8) endorsed restrictions for tobacco sales and just under half of respondents (47.3%; 95% CI: 43.8-50.9) supported a ban for electronic cigarettes/vaping device use on campus. Smoking status was an independent predictor of support for tobacco control, with the lowest level of support for a smoke-free campus among daily (adjusted OR 0.02; 95% CI: 0.01-0.05) and intermittent smokers (adjusted OR 0.06; 95% CI: 0.02-0.16). CONCLUSIONS:Overall, the majority of staff and students participating in this baseline survey supported implementation of a smoke-free or comprehensive tobacco-free campus policy. These findings may inform the development and future implementation of a revised tobacco control policy at the university which reflects contemporary attitudes and considers a broad range of implementation issues, including behaviour change and environmental adaptations.

Project description:BackgroundTobacco-related content on social media is generated and propagated by opinion leaders on the Web who disseminate messages to others in their network, including followers, who then continue to spread the information. Opinion leaders can exert powerful influences on their followers' knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors; yet, little is known about the demographic characteristics and tobacco use behavior of tobacco opinion leaders on the Web and their followers, compared with general Twitter users.ObjectiveIn this study, we hypothesized that opinion leaders use more tobacco products and have higher nicotine dependence than the other 2 groups (eg, followers and general Twitter users) and that followers-those who spread messages by opinion leaders-would more likely be in demographic groups that are vulnerable to tobacco marketing influence (eg, young adults and lower educational attainment).MethodsWe constructed the social networks of people who tweet about tobacco and categorized them using a combination of social network and Twitter metrics. To understand the characteristics of tobacco opinion leaders and their followers, we conducted a survey of tobacco opinion leaders, their followers, and general Twitter users. The sample included 347 opinion leaders, 567 followers, and 519 general users. The opinion leaders had a median of 1000 followers, whereas followers and general users had fewer than 600 followers.ResultsOpinion leaders were more likely than their followers to report past month use of tobacco products; followers, in turn, were more likely to report past month use of these products than general Twitter users. The followers appeared to be an especially vulnerable group; they tended to be younger (mean age 22.4 years) and have lower education compared with the opinion leaders and general users.ConclusionsFollowers of Twitter tobacco opinion leaders are a vulnerable group that might benefit from antitobacco education to counter the protobacco communications they see on social media.

Dataset Information

Becoming a tobacco-free campus: A survey of student attitudes, opinions and behaviors.

Publications

Becoming a tobacco-free campus: A survey of student attitudes, opinions and behaviors.

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