Novel collaborative approach to tobacco policy at a graduate university

Background: Touro University, California (TUCA) needed to establish a tobacco-smoking policy for its campus. Workplace tobacco policies have shown to increase tobacco cessation, but there is little guidance for developing such policies. University tobacco policies predominantly target students and do not account for the entire campus community.

Methods: A workgroup of students, faculty, and staff, including tobacco users and non-users, was assembled to formulate a tobacco policy for the TUCA campus. A survey measuring attitudes and behaviors of tobacco smoking was adopted from validated surveys to aid policy construction. All TUCA faculty, staff, and first year Osteopathic Medicine, Pharmacy, and Physician Assistant students were administered surveys. A total of 213 (74.7%) student, 75 (74.3%) faculty, and 66 (72.5%) staff surveys were completed and included in analysis.

Results: Smoking rates were lower for students (8%) and faculty (5%) as compared to staff (21%). Students and faculty were more likely to support a smoking ban and reported being bothered by cigarettes more often than staff. There was universal support for increasing smoking cessation program availability. Survey results were utilized to develop a smoking policy proposal resulting in TUCA becoming a smoke-free campus.

Conclusion: It is expected that by including everyone in the decision process, both by representation in the workgroup and survey, that the TUCA community will view the adopted policy favorably. This project has the capability to show that efforts to engage the entire campus in policy collaboration will result in increased tobacco cessation, and tobacco awareness on TUCA campus.