Abstract
Tobacco smoking is the preventable health issue worldwide. The harmful consequences of tobacco smoking and exposure to second-hand tobacco smoke are well documented. The aim of this study is to compares the prevalence of smoking among students, faculty and staff and examines their interest to quit. Study also determines the difference on perceptions of smoking and non-smoking students, faculty and staff with regard to implementation of a smoke-free policy. A cross-sectional survey was administered to one of the largest universities in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia during the academic year of 2013. A Likert scale was used on questionnaires towards attitude to smoking and smoking free policy. The Chi squared test was used to determine the difference of support on completely smoke free campus for smokers and non-smokers. Smoking rates were highest among staff members (36.8 %) followed by students (11.2 %) and faculty (6.4 %). About half of the smokers (53.7 %) within the university attempted to quit smoking. Students (OR 3.10, 95 % CI 1.00–9.60) and faculty (OR 4.06, 95 % CI 1.16–14.18) were more likely to make quit smoking than staff members. Majority of the respondents (89.6 %) were supportive of a smoking—free policy and indicated that should be strictly enforced especially into public places. Results also showed that smokers were more likely to support a smoke-free policy if there are no fines or penalties. These baseline findings will provide information among administrators in formulating and carrying out a total smoke free policy. Although the majority of people within the King Saud University demonstrate a high support for a smoke–free policy, administrators should consider difference between smokers and non-smokers attitudes when implementing such a policy.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
World Health Organization (WHO). Implementing smoke-free environments’, WHO. Report on the Global Tobacco Epidemic; 2009.
US Department of Health and Human Services (1986) The Health Consequences of Involuntary Smoking. A Report of the Surgeon-General. US Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control, Washington, DC.
US Department of Health and Human Services. The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke: A Report of the Surgeon General; 2006. [cited 2013 September]. Available from: www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/secondhandsmoke/.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, Office of Health and Environmental Assessment. Respiratory Health Effects of Passive Smoking: Lung Cancer and Other Disorders. Washington (DC); 1992.
World Health Organization (WHO). Protection from exposure to second-hand tobacco smoke. Policy recommendations. WHO; 2007.
Bauer, J. E., Hyland, A., Li, Q., Steger, C., & Cummings, K. M. (2005). A longitudinal assessment of the impact of smoke-free worksite policies on tobacco use. American Journal of Public Health, 95, 1024–1029.
Heloma, A., & Jaakkola, M. S. (2003). Four-year follow-up of smoke exposure, attitudes and smoking behavior following enactment of Finland’s national smoke-free work-place law. Addiction, 98, 1111–1117.
Levy, D. T., & Friend, K. B. (2003). The effects of clean indoor air laws: What do we know and what do we need to know? Health Education Research, 18, 592–609.
Rüge, J., Broda, A., Ulbricht, S., Klein, G., Rumpf, H. J., John, U., et al. (2010). Workplace smoking restrictions: smoking behavior and the intention to change among continuing smokers. International Public Health Journal, 55(6), 599–608. doi:10.1007/s00038-009-0111-1.
Fitchtenberg, S. A., & Glantz, C. M. (2002). Effect of smoke-free workplaces on smoking behavior: systematic review. BMJ, 325, 188.
Bassiony, M. (2009). Smoking in Saudi Arabia. Saudi Medical Journal, 30, 876–881.
American Nonsmokers’ Rights. Saudi Arabia. [cited 2013 September 2]. Available from: http://www.no-smoke.org/goingsmokefree.php?id=750.
World Health Organization (WHO). Report on the Global Tobacco Epidemic, Enforcing Bans on Tobacco Advertising, Promotion and Sponsorship. Geneva, Switzerland; 2013.
Jones, A. (2013). Tobacco-free Educational Campuses a tobacco-free futures action guide. Edinburgh, International Union against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease. [cited 2013 August 5]. Available from: http://www.globalsmokefreepartnership.org/resources/ficheiros/Campus_Factsheet__EN.pdf.
Unitec Institute of Technology (2012, November 23) Unitec campuses to go smoke free in 2013 [internet]. Available from: http://issuu.com/unitecnz/docs/unitec_annual_report_2012.
Chaaya, M., Alameddine, M., Nakkash, R., Afifi, R. A., Khalil, J., Nahhas, G. (2013). Students’ attitude and smoking behaviour following the implementation of a university smoke-free policy: A cross-sectional study. BMJ Open 3(4). doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2012-002100.
Le, L., Dhaliwal, S., Howat, P. (2008). University student attitudes to smoking policies. Curtin University: Perth Western Australian Centre for Health Promotion Research and Centre for Behavioral Research in Cancer Control.
Bonevski, B., Paul, C. L., Walsh, R. A., et al. (2011). Support for smoke-free vocational education settings: An exploratory survey of staff behaviors, experiences and attitudes. Health Promotion Journal of Australia, 22(1), 11–16.
El Ansari, W., Labeeb, S., Kotb, S., Yousafzai, M. T., El-Houfey, A., & Stock, C. (2012). Correlates of smoking, quit attempts and attitudes towards total smoking Bans at University: Findings from eleven faculties in Egypt. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention, 13(6), 2547–2556.
Haddad, L. G., & Malak, M. Z. (2002). Smoking habits and attitudes towards smoking among university students in Jordan. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 39, 793–802.
Roeseler, A., Anderson, C. M., Hansen, K., Arnold, M., Zhu, S.-H. (2010). Creating positive turbulence: A tobacco quit plan for California. Sacramento, CA: California Department of Public Health, California Tobacco Control Program.
Mahfouz, A. A., Shatoor, A. S., Al-Ghamdi, B. R., Hassanein, M. A., Nahar, S., Farheen, A., et al. (2013). Tobacco use among health care workers in southwestern Saudi Arabia. BioMed Research International, 5, 960292.
Al-Kaabba, A. F., Saeed, A. A., Abdalla, A. M., Hassan, H. A., & Mustafa, A. A. (2011). Prevalence and associated factors of cigarette smoking among medical students at King Fahad Medical City in Riyadh of Saudi Arabia. Journal of Family and Community Medicine, 18(1), 8–12. doi:10.4103/1319-1683.78631.
Riggoti, N. A., Regan, S., Moran, S. E., & Welchsler, H. (2003). Students’ opinion of tobacco control policies recommended for US colleges: A national survey. Tobacco Control, 12, 251–256.
American Nonsmokers’ Rights. Smokefree Status of Workplaces and Hospitality Venues around the World; July 8, 2013. [cited 2013 August 7]. Available from: http://www.no-smoke.org/pdf/internationalbarsandrestaurants.pdf.
Miller, W. R., & Rollnick, S. (2002). Motivational interviewing. Preparing people for change. New York: The Guilford Press.
Acknowledgments
The authors extend their appreciation to the Research Center at the College of Applied Medical Sciences and the Deanship of Scientific Research at King Saud University for funding this work.
Conflict of interest
The authors certify that there is no conflict of interest with any financial organization regarding the material discussed in the manuscript.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Almutairi, K.M. Attitudes of Students and Employees Towards the Implementation of a Totally Smoke Free University Campus Policy at King Saud University in Saudi Arabia: A Cross Sectional Baseline Study on Smoking Behavior Following the Implementation of Policy. J Community Health 39, 894–900 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10900-014-9893-z
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10900-014-9893-z