Perceived enforcement of school tobacco policy and adolescents' cigarette smoking

Abstract

Objectives School tobacco use policies are part of a comprehensive strategy for preventing or reducing adolescent cigarette smoking. This study examines the relationship between perceived tobacco policy enforcement at the school level and smoking behaviors among students. Methods 21,281 middle and high school students of 255 schools participated in the 2006 Oregon Health Teens Survey. Multilevel logistic regression was conducted, using a school-level policy enforcement measure based on aggregated student reports, and individual-level characteristics (e.g., age, gender, cigarette smoking before age 12, personal beliefs about smoking) as predictors of past-30-day cigarette smoking behaviors (e.g., any smoking, daily smoking, heavy episodic smoking, smoking on school property). Results Higher levels of perceived enforcement of anti-smoking policy at the school level were inversely associated with the prevalence of past-30-day smoking behaviors, independent of individual-level predictors. Conclusions Stricter enforcement of school policies against tobacco use may help prevent or reduce adolescents' cigarette smoking on and outside of school property.