Attitudes and Behaviors Around Smoking Improve at SLU

09/11/2019

Three years ago, SLU adopted a new policy prohibiting the use of all tobacco products, including chewing tobacco and e-cigarettes on the St. Louis campus. Since that time, attitudes and behaviors around smoking have changed for the better, according to a new report from the Tobacco-Free SLU Task Force.

In 2016, after input from stakeholders across the University, including the Student Government Association, Faculty Senate, Staff Advisory Committee and SLUCare physicians, smoking was banned from all indoor and outdoor spaces on the St. Louis campus, including SLU Medical Center and Scott Hall in downtown St. Louis. 

A task force of students, faculty and staff led by Ricardo Wray, Ph.D., professor in SLU’s College for Public Health and Social Justice and co-director of SLU’s Center for Cancer Prevention, Research and Outreach, helped the St. Louis campus make the move to become 100% tobacco-free.

Wray and his colleagues surveyed the campus community in the weeks before the policy went into effect and again one year later to see how attitudes and behaviors around smoking changed.

The report, which has been submitted for publication to the Journal of American College Health, found that the SLU community has made strides in moving away from tobacco use and towards healthy attitudes about smoking. These positive outcomes were reported by faculty, staff and students. 

“In brief, we found that policy support increased, the perception that smoking is socially acceptable on campus declined and self-reported use of any tobacco decreased from 2016 to 2017,” Wray said.

“As a community, SLU recognized that we have an obligation to provide a healthy environment for our students, faculty, staff, patients and visitors, and I’m pleased to see that our efforts have led to a healthier Saint Louis University.”

The SLU findings parallel those from the Centers for Disease Control, which has reported that tobacco-free policies can reduce daily tobacco consumption and encourage tobacco users to quit.

Read the SLU policy here: https://www.slu.edu/human-resources/pdfs/policies/tobacco-free-campus.pdf