Tobacco-free college policies increasing

July 13--The number of U.S. colleges and universities implementing tobacco/smoke-free policies is increasing, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The study by the CDC and the American Nonsmokers' Rights Foundation was published recently in the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

From 2012-17, more than twice as many colleges and universities in the nation were smoke and tobacco free, according to the CDC. As of November, about 2,082 campuses were smoke free -- completely prohibited smoking -- or tobacco free -- completely prohibited both smokeless tobacco use and combustible tobacco product smoking -- in all indoor and outdoor areas, which is up from 774 campuses in 2012.

In 2017, among the 2,082 campuses with smoke-free policies, 84 percent were tobacco free, according to the CDC. By comparison, of the 774 smoke-free campuses in 2012, 73 percent were tobacco-free, according to data from ANRF's College Campus Tobacco Policy Database.

"Colleges and universities are ideal places to promote healthy behaviors that can continue for a lifetime, including being tobacco free," said Corinne Graffunder, Dr.P.H, director of CDC's Office on Smoking and Health. "Tobacco-free campus policies could help reduce tobacco use and provide people with a healthier environment to live, work, and learn."

The study also found that among campuses that had smoke-free or tobacco-free policies, 80 percent specifically prohibited e-cigarette use, and 41 percent prohibited hookah -- water pipe -- smoking.

"The tobacco product landscape is changing, and our nation's young people are using a variety of tobacco products, including e-cigarettes and hookahs," said Brian King, Ph.D., deputy director for research translation in CDC's Office on Smoking and Health. "It's important that we keep pace by ensuring our proven tobacco prevention and control interventions include these products."

James The, student services vice president for Southwestern Adventist University, said the campus has always been smoke and tobacco free.

"Southwestern Adventist University was founded on Christian Seventh-day Adventist beliefs, which include a message about a healthful lifestyle abstaining from tobacco usage," The said. "The university continues to focus on the importance of health to a successful learning environment by implementing whole-person wellness into the curriculum.

"This approach suggests that physical, mental and spiritual health directly impacts the academic career."

Keeping the campus smoke and tobacco free, he said, reduces safety risks and maintains a healthy environment for their students.

Lizza Trenkle, student services vice president with Hill College, said they are not a smoke-free campus.

"We have designated smoking areas at each location; however, people are not required to go to the designated smoking areas to smoke," Trenkle said. "They just have to be 25 feet from a door."

Since she's been in her position, she said there hasn't been any discussion from administrators to make the campus smoke free.

According to the CDC, smoke-free and tobacco-free campuses can promote the health and wellbeing of students, faculty, staff and guests by:

--Protecting nonusers from the harmful effects of secondhand tobacco smoke and e-cigarette aerosol.

--Reducing the social acceptability of tobacco product use.

--Promoting cessation.

--Preventing tobacco use initiation.

For more information about the study, visit cdc.gov.

___

(c)2018 the Cleburne Times-Review (Cleburne, Texas)

Visit the Cleburne Times-Review (Cleburne, Texas) at www.cleburnetimesreview.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.