| Summary: | Introduction
A growing body of research has evaluated the effect of university
tobacco-free policies on faculty and staff, however, none of these studies has been
carried out in the Eastern Mediterranean Region. This study evaluates changes
in faculty and staff attitudes, perceptions and smoking behavior, at 1 year post
adoption of a tobacco-free policy in a medium-sized university in Lebanon and
the region.
Methods
Two cross-sectional surveys were conducted in 2017 and 2018: baseline
and at 1 year post policy implementation. A random sample of 625 and 624
participants took part in the 2017 and 2018 studies, respectively.
Results
Faculty and staff had a positive attitude towards the policy at the two
time points. The belief that there should be exceptions to the policy significantly
decreased from 79% to 59% (p=0.002) among all smokers, particularly those with
lower educational attainment (81% to 57%, p=0.007). Perception of compliance
among peer smokers increased from 73% to 87% (p=0.009). The proportion
of smokers did not significantly change at 1 year post policy implementation,
however, 44% of smokers with lower educational attainment, compared to only
7% of those with higher educational attainment (p<0.001), reported a decrease
in their smoking behavior outside campus.
Conclusions
The policy had a positive effect on the attitude, behavior and
perception of policy benefits among smokers with lower educational attainment,
who constitute the majority of smokers. Findings from this study inform and
support future efforts to develop university and workplace tobacco-free policies.
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