Background
The Tobacco Free Campus Program is funded by the New York State Department of Health and is being administered locally by the Seaway Valley Prevention Council. This initiative originated as a program of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and began in 2002.
There are four colleges taking part in this initiative: SUNY Potsdam, SUNY Canton, St. Lawrence University and Clarkson University. These four colleges are the first in New York State to test this innovative tobacco prevention program, which has already shown a great deal of promise in Colorado.
Mission and Goals of the Program
The goals of the Tobacco Free Campus Program are to:
- Increase anti-tobacco attitudes among college students
- Reduce the number of students who smoke
- Increase involvement on college campuses to reduce tobacco use and eliminate secondhand smoke
- Strengthen campus infrastructures to support program goals
Rationale for Campus Program
Public health often focuses its efforts on youth prevention (under the age of 17) when addressing tobacco control. This approach overlooks a key age group: 18-24 year olds. This population has the highest prevalence of smoking among adults. In addition, this population has been exposed to increased marketing from the tobacco industry since 1998.
“We need to establish brand loyalty among 18-24 year olds because we can market them legally. Besides, that’s who the younger kids look up to. If we can capture the young adult market, the kids will come along for free.”
-from an RJ Reynolds document discovered during a settlement trial |
Like the general population, the majority of college students are making healthy choices, including choosing not to use tobacco products. However, there are students who do start smoking in college as well as students who increase their tobacco use while in college. And, most campuses lack comprehensive tobacco control policies and programs. In a survey of SUNY Potsdam students in 2005, the percentage of students that smoked cigarettes either every day or some days was 23%. With approximately 12,000 college students locally, that equates to about 3,000 smokers. On a positive note, national data shows that 59% of college students who smoke would like to quit smoking before they graduate.
Targeting students where they spend much of their time – on campus - can play a major role in reducing tobacco use in this population. A great opportunity exists for education, policy change and creating a strong partnership between students and campus departments. The purpose of this program is to institute a comprehensive campus tobacco prevention and control program by providing materials and opportunities to support programming, activities and policy work addressing tobacco issues on our local campuses.