Health Education Research Advance Access originally published online on May 18, 2009
Health Education Research 2009 24(6):922-929; doi:10.1093/her/cyp026
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A review of undergraduate university tobacco control policy process in Canada
1 Department of Prevention, British Columbia Cancer Agency Centre for the Southern Interior, 399 Royal Avenue, Kelowna, British Columbia V1Y 5L3, Canada
2 School of Nursing, University of British Columbia Okanagan, 3333 University Way, Kelowna BC V1V 1V7, Canada
* Correspondence to: L. Baillie. E-mail: lbaillie{at}bccancer.bc.ca
The college years occur during the stage of life when many people develop permanent smoking habits, and approximately one-third go on to become addicted smokers. The 18–24 year demographic that makes up the majority of undergraduate attendees represents the earliest years that the tobacco industry now can legally attempt to lure new customers into smoking. This research investigated the ways in which university tobacco control policies are developed, introduced to students, faculty and staff and how they are implemented and enforced. Findings show that tobacco control initiatives at Canadian undergraduate universities face a wide range of challenges including a lack of dedicated and consistent tobacco control personnel, ownership issues, funding, enforcement and monitoring dilemmas. Participants also reported that the layout and geographic location of the campus can result in difficulties in implementation. Consequently, it appears that there may be a growing, although inadvertent, tolerance for smoking on Canadian campuses.
Received on August 12, 2008; accepted on March 4, 2009