Predictors of Student Non-compliance and Self-enforcement Efforts of a Total Tobacco Ban on a College Campus

Abstract

This study examined the predictors of non-compliance, frequency of non-compliance, and enforcement efforts among college students within the context of a 100% tobacco-free campus policy. A total of 450 undergraduate college students (74% female) completed a researcher developed questionnaire about personal smoking behavior, compliance, enforcement efforts, and attitude towards the ban. Of the total sample, 19% of participants were smokers, and 49% of those smokers reported being non-compliant with the tobacco ban. Eighty-eight percent of the sample reported witnessing someone smoking on campus during the past 30 days, 26% of whom reported witnessing daily policy non-compliance on campus. The majority of students (90%) reported never making an attempt to enforce the policy and most students (58%) had a positive attitude towards the ban. Of the predictors examined through regression analyses (i.e., demographics, smoking-related variables, and policy-related variables) none were significant in predicting non-compliance, frequency of non-compliance, or enforcement effort.