Abstract
College and university tobacco control programs have historically neglected cessation. In 2012, the University of California Office of the President (UCOP) released a Smoke and Tobacco Free policy that became effective in January 2014. The policy provided for a comprehensive education and outreach campaign that included resources and referrals for cessation. We sought to determine whether all University of California (UC) campuses met UCOP standards. We reviewed the Smoke & Tobacco Free policies created by UCOP and posted at ten UC campuses, searched the tobacco free websites of each campus for cessation resources, and contacted tobacco-free task forces. We found that all UC campuses met the UCOP standard by addressing tobacco cessation in their campus policies. The provision of cessation services and resources was limited and varied substantially by campus, and no campuses reported collecting data on the use of cessation programs. Consistent with concerns that college and university tobacco policies neglect cessation, UC campuses mentioned tobacco cessation resources and programs but did not provide consistent services. These campuses also did not report on the use of tobacco cessation resources, making it difficult to assess the effects of offering different types of cessation programs.
Highlights
Tobacco use in the University of California (UC) system is estimated at 6%-10% of students and 3%-9% of employees (Guzman, 2013)
Qualitative interviews conducted on UC campuses suggest that some individuals switched from visible smoking areas to more secluded areas; four months after tobacco free policies took effect, 55% of students surveyed had seen a person smoking on campus at UC Riverside and 38% reported being exposed to secondhand smoke on campus in the past week (Fallin, Roditis, & Glantz, 2015)
Our findings suggest that the emphasis each campus placed on smoking cessation in its policy varied; the detail provided by policies was not associated with tobacco cessation resources available
Summary
Tobacco use in the University of California (UC) system is estimated at 6%-10% of students and 3%-9% of employees (Guzman, 2013) While these rates are lower than national averages (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2018a; Sutfin et al, 2012) there is no safe level of smoking. Conclusion: Consistent with concerns that college and university tobacco policies neglect cessation, UC campuses mentioned tobacco cessation resources and programs but did not provide consistent services. These campuses did not report on the use of tobacco cessation resources, making it difficult to assess the effects of offering different types of cessation programs
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