The 13th World Conference on Tobacco OR Health

Objective: 1. Increase collaboration among college campus communities to prevent and reduce tobacco use among college students.

Methods: Since 1999, The Partnership for a Healthy Mississippi has had tobacco prevention programs for grades K – 12. However, students entering college find an entirely new set of freedoms and pressures, and often turn to tobacco use in social settings, which leads to addiction. The Partnership On Campus provides education and cessation to college students. The program includes a campus-based student coalition, as well as cessation services. The goal of the program is to prevent tobacco initiation by college students, increase the number of tobacco-free campus policies and decrease the rate of tobacco use among current smokers. Twenty eight Mississippi University and community college campuses participate in the program. A student works part time as the On-Campus Coordinator (OCC) to facilitate prevention awareness activities, tobacco-free campus policy initiatives, and promote cessation services to the campus population.

Results: All 28 colleges have policies that prohibit smoking within dormitories and other campus buildings. All 28 colleges prohibit the sale of tobacco products on campus. Two colleges are completely SMOKE-FREE campuses. The remaining universities/colleges are working diligently towards a smoke-free campus by implementing a tobacco-free campus policy initiative which includes education and policy revision. During the 2004 school year; students reported a 60 percent success rate in quitting tobacco use at the end of the intensive counseling program.