8The Smoke-Free University: Anticipating Health Education Needs of Faculty and Staff

A survey instrument was developed to assess the anticipated impact of smoke-free university policy on faculty and staff and to recommend health education interventions based on stages of change theory and employee interest. Four months before the policy was implemented, the 25-item anonymous questionnaire was sent to a random sample of 1,000 faculty/staff. A majority of university workers (85.5%) are not smokers and approve of the no-smoking policy. Smokers (14.5%) are older than nonsmokers, are more likely to have a high school versus higher education, and are more likely to be maintenance or clerical workers. Most smokers smoke less than one packper day and smoke outdoors during workhours. More smokers were in later stages of change (planning to stop soon) than expected. Interest in availability of smoking cessation activities differed by smoking status and change stage. Tobacco smoking is the single most important preventable cause of death in our society. Although the prevalence of smoking has declined substantially for men, it has declined only slightly for women, and little for those without a high school diplomat Across the country, 25.6 % of adults smoked in 1992, the same as in 1991 and 1990. Initiation of regular smoking occurs during the young adult years. In 1992, for the first time since 1983, smoking prevalence rates in the 18- to 24-year-old age group did no