Online Program

281890
Changing tobacco policy on campus through transdisciplinary service learning


Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Helen Brown, RDN, MPH, Department of Movement Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID
Shannon Haselhuhn, M.S., Student Health Services University Operations, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID
Daniel Trautvetter, Department of Movement Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID
A successful transdisciplinary approach achieving complementary goals of changing campus tobacco policy and enhancing student engagement through service learning methodology is presented. Students in a health programming course self-selected to partner with public health, campus health, university staff and faculty to implement a tobacco ban on the University of Idaho campus. Two semester long course content mirrored public health approaches to implementing campus tobacco bans, including survey development, statistically significant sampling, tobacco policy education, marketing and promotion, and strategic education of key university leaders on tobacco policy implementation. Course objectives to utilize multiple social media strategies, develop social marketing materials, including a website were developed to advance tobacco policy change and increase student skills. Pedagogical approaches learned in the course empowered students to develop educational forums and presentations on tobacco policy for high level University officials. Students worked effectively with multiple stakeholders inside and outside of the University and gained important team communication skills as assessed in course assignments and journals. Integrating tobacco policy into a service learning course is an effective method of engaging students in public health practices as well as gaining increased and needed support for changes in campus tobacco policy.

Learning Areas:

Advocacy for health and health education
Implementation of health education strategies, interventions and programs
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs
Public health or related education
Public health or related public policy

Learning Objectives:
Evaluate the effectiveness of a trans-disciplinary service learning approach to changing campus tobacco norms. Describe the components of healthy active living promotion integrated in to efforts to ban tobacco use on a university campus.

Keyword(s): Tobacco Policy, Teaching

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have over 20 years of experiences working on tobacco control, cessation and policy.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.