NEED ACCELERATION OF CAMPUS POLICIES NATIONWIDE IN PAKISTAN
There are number of colleges, universities schools and other institutes of heiher learning in Pakistan. The Tobacco free campus initiative is needed.
Let’s take an example of campus policies Progress in US As of April 2013
- 1,159 campuses in U.S. are 100% smoke-free with no exemptions, including residential housing facilities (where applicable)
- Of those, 783 – almost 68% – have a 100% tobacco-free policy
- Examples of large campuses that already are or are becoming tobacco-free:
- University of California (all 10 campuses)
- City University of New York (all 24 campuses)
- University of Arizona
- University of Oregon
- University of Oklahoma
- University of Kentucky
- Montana State University
- University of Florida (“Gators don’t chew. They chomp!”)
- Emory University
- Ohio State University (pending)
- Source: Americans for Nonsmokers’ Rights Foundation,
http://www.no-smoke.org/pdf/smokefreecollegesuniversities.pdf
Effectiveness of Campus Policies
Indiana University vs. Purdue University
- Study compared two Big Ten campuses with similar demographics … Purdue University (no policy) and Indiana University (tobacco-free policy implemented in 2008)
- Indiana University smoking rate: 16.5% in 2007; 12.8% in 2009 (-3.7)
- Purdue University smoking rate: 9.5% in 2007; 10.1% in 2009 (+0.6)
- Indiana University consumption rate: 6.6 cigs/day in 2007; 5.9 cigs/day in 2009 (-0.7)
- Purdue University consumption rate: 5.2 cigs/day in 2007; 6.8 cigs/day in 2009 (+1.6)
- Study showed significant favorable change in attitudes among Indiana University students regarding elimination of smoking in public places and university property
University of Michigan 16 Months After Implementation
- 89% of faculty/staff and 83% of students supported policy
- 72% of faculty/staff and 65% students noticed decrease of smoking on campus
- Smoking by faculty and staff dropped from 6% to 4%
- Among continued smokers, 29% reduced consumption
- 13% of faculty/staff reported policy influenced them to quit or attempt to quit smoking
- 16% of students reported policy influenced them to quit or attempt to quit smoking
- Source: University of Michigan, “Smoking Declines After U-M Campus Ban, May 9, 2013