Non-compliance with university tobacco-free policies: A qualitative exploration
Introduction Though university smoke-free and tobacco-free campus policies have been proliferating across the US, compliance and enforcement remain challenges. This study examined perceptions and behaviors of employees and students who used tobacco products on tobacco-free campuses, to better unders...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
European Publishing
2022-04-01
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| Series: | Tobacco Prevention and Cessation |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.tobaccopreventioncessation.com/Non-compliance-with-university-tobacco-free-policies-A-qualitative-exploration,146713,0,2.html |
| _version_ | 1811179608383422464 |
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| author | Joshua S. Yang Afsana Faruqui Angela Sou Tim K. Mackey |
| author_facet | Joshua S. Yang Afsana Faruqui Angela Sou Tim K. Mackey |
| author_sort | Joshua S. Yang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Introduction
Though university smoke-free and tobacco-free campus policies have
been proliferating across the US, compliance and enforcement remain challenges.
This study examined perceptions and behaviors of employees and students who
used tobacco products on tobacco-free campuses, to better understand policy noncompliance.
Methods
Students (n=56) and employees (n=20) from two tobacco-free 4-year
public universities in Southern California who self-reported using tobacco products
on campus participated in focus groups, stratified by university and student or
employee (faculty and staff) status, to discuss attitudes toward campus tobacco
policies and on-campus smoking. Focus group discussions were transcribed and
analyzed after structured coding and subcoding.
Results
Participants were generally aware that smoking and vaping were not allowed
on campus, though few could correctly identify their campus as tobacco-free.
Attitudes toward the policy varied by subgroup and by campus, with students
and employees at different universities expressing varying levels of support. Non-compliance
was a unique interaction of individual, institutional, and interpersonal
factors including a desire to smoke or vape to reduce stress, lack of formal
enforcement or penalty for violating the policy, and efforts to smoke or vape in
ways that reduce harm to others as a way of rationalizing non-compliance.
Conclusions
Attitudes toward university tobacco-free policies are campus- and
constituency-specific, with similarities in individual, institutional, and interpersonal
factors underlying non-compliance. Interventions to increase compliance should
address individual, institutional, and interpersonal influences on non-compliance
through efforts tailored to specific campus constituencies based on their particular
knowledge and attitudes towards tobacco-free policies. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T06:37:08Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-74062401b38549b99b4f181811093eb9 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2459-3087 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-11T06:37:08Z |
| publishDate | 2022-04-01 |
| publisher | European Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Tobacco Prevention and Cessation |
| spelling | doaj.art-74062401b38549b99b4f181811093eb92022-12-22T04:39:39ZengEuropean PublishingTobacco Prevention and Cessation2459-30872022-04-018April1810.18332/tpc/146713146713Non-compliance with university tobacco-free policies: A qualitative explorationJoshua S. Yang0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9224-6053Afsana Faruqui1Angela Sou2Tim K. Mackey3https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2191-7833Department of Public Health, California State University, Fullerton, United StatesDepartment of Public Health, California State University, Fullerton, United StatesDepartment of Public Health, California State University, Fullerton, United StatesDepartment of Anthropology, University of California, San Diego, United StatesIntroduction Though university smoke-free and tobacco-free campus policies have been proliferating across the US, compliance and enforcement remain challenges. This study examined perceptions and behaviors of employees and students who used tobacco products on tobacco-free campuses, to better understand policy noncompliance. Methods Students (n=56) and employees (n=20) from two tobacco-free 4-year public universities in Southern California who self-reported using tobacco products on campus participated in focus groups, stratified by university and student or employee (faculty and staff) status, to discuss attitudes toward campus tobacco policies and on-campus smoking. Focus group discussions were transcribed and analyzed after structured coding and subcoding. Results Participants were generally aware that smoking and vaping were not allowed on campus, though few could correctly identify their campus as tobacco-free. Attitudes toward the policy varied by subgroup and by campus, with students and employees at different universities expressing varying levels of support. Non-compliance was a unique interaction of individual, institutional, and interpersonal factors including a desire to smoke or vape to reduce stress, lack of formal enforcement or penalty for violating the policy, and efforts to smoke or vape in ways that reduce harm to others as a way of rationalizing non-compliance. Conclusions Attitudes toward university tobacco-free policies are campus- and constituency-specific, with similarities in individual, institutional, and interpersonal factors underlying non-compliance. Interventions to increase compliance should address individual, institutional, and interpersonal influences on non-compliance through efforts tailored to specific campus constituencies based on their particular knowledge and attitudes towards tobacco-free policies.http://www.tobaccopreventioncessation.com/Non-compliance-with-university-tobacco-free-policies-A-qualitative-exploration,146713,0,2.htmle-cigaretteuniversitysmokingtobacco-free policiespolicy compliance |
| spellingShingle | Joshua S. Yang Afsana Faruqui Angela Sou Tim K. Mackey Non-compliance with university tobacco-free policies: A qualitative exploration Tobacco Prevention and Cessation e-cigarette university smoking tobacco-free policies policy compliance |
| title | Non-compliance with university tobacco-free policies: A qualitative exploration |
| title_full | Non-compliance with university tobacco-free policies: A qualitative exploration |
| title_fullStr | Non-compliance with university tobacco-free policies: A qualitative exploration |
| title_full_unstemmed | Non-compliance with university tobacco-free policies: A qualitative exploration |
| title_short | Non-compliance with university tobacco-free policies: A qualitative exploration |
| title_sort | non compliance with university tobacco free policies a qualitative exploration |
| topic | e-cigarette university smoking tobacco-free policies policy compliance |
| url | http://www.tobaccopreventioncessation.com/Non-compliance-with-university-tobacco-free-policies-A-qualitative-exploration,146713,0,2.html |
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