The Association Between School Tobacco Control Policies and Youth Smoking Behavior
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The Association Between School Tobacco Control Policies and Youth Smoking Behavior Jayani Jayawardhana 1
&
Haley E. Bolton 2 & Monica Gaughan 3
# International Society of Behavioral Medicine 2019
Abstract Background While U.S. tobacco control policy has focused mainly on tobacco excise taxes, product advertising bans, and state tobacco control policies such as indoor/outdoor smoking bans, little attention has been paid to school tobacco control policies and their impact on youth smoking behavior. Thus, the objective of this study is to examine the impact of school tobacco control policies on smoking behavior among teenagers and young adults in the USA. Methods Using logistic regression approach, this study examines the effect of school tobacco control policies on individuals ever trying smoking and ever being a regular smoker using data from waves I, II, and III of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. Results Findings indicate that school tobacco control policies targeting both students and employees of the school are associated with a reduced odds of smoking initiation among youth, but do not have much effect on youth becoming regular smokers. Conclusions If implemented properly, school tobacco control policies could play a vital role in preventing youth smoking and help reduce youth smoking rates in the country, addressing a key public health issue. Keywords Youth smoking . School smoking policies . Tobacco control . Smoking cessation
Introduction Since the first landmark Surgeon General Report in 1964 on Smoking and Health, the United States (U.S.) has made tremendous progress in smoking rates among adults by reducing it from 43% in 1965 to 14% today [1]. However, tobacco use is still known as the single most preventable cause of disease and death in the U.S., with more than 40 million individuals
* Jayani Jayawardhana [email protected] Haley E. Bolton [email protected] Monica Gaughan [email protected] 1
College of Pharmacy, University of Georgia, 250 West Green Street, Athens, GA 30602, USA
2
Emory Healthcare, 101 W. Ponce De Leon Ave, Decatur, GA 30030, USA
3
School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, PO Box 872402, Tempe, AZ 85287-2402, USA
dependent on tobacco usage [2]. It is estimated that about 443,000 people die each year due to tobacco-related illnesses while another 8.6 million people are likely to live with serious illnesses due to smoking. While prevalence of tobacco use among adults has been reduced in recent years, tobacco use among teenagers and young adults tends to remain high in the U.S. According to the Surgeon General’s report in 2014, more than 600,000 middle school students and 3 million high school students are cigarette smokers. It also notes that nearly one in four high school seniors and one in three young adults (18–25 years) are likely to be smokers [2]. Furthermore, it reports that on each day, more than 3,200 teenagers who are younger than 18 years of age are likely to smoke their fir
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