Evaluating the Tobacco-Free Policy at Eastern Kentucky University, 2016

This research assesses students’ knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors concerning the Tobacco-Free Policy (TFP) at Eastern Kentucky University (EKU). This 2016 survey is a follow-up study of a survey completed in 2012. While many students acknowledge the benefits of the TFP for reducing exposures on campus, survey results from 2016 identify important areas where EKU needs to work on its effort at providing a healthy smoke-free environment. Though student knowledge and support of nonsmoking policies has improved, the stricter tobacco free policy has met some resistance. Students who are smokers continue to find ways to smoke on campus. Overall, this research attempts to address the problem many institutions and organizations face, especially in Southern states: Getting violators to comply with tobacco free policies when there is no legal precedent. Even though this survey did not ask open-ended questions, many students voluntarily left comments about smoking locations by violators on campus.This research shows different trends among students that correlate with smoking habits.https://encompass.eku.edu/swps_undergraduategallery/1141/thumbnail.jp