Farran Dina, Nakkash Rima, Al-Hindi Mahmoud, Romani Maya, Asser Martin J O, Khairallah Mary, Chaaya Monique
Department of Health Promotion and Community Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon.
Department of Chemical Engineering and Advanced Energy, Maroun Semaan Faculty of Engineering and Architecture, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon.
Tob Induc Dis. 2021 May 10;19:36. doi: 10.18332/tid/133751. eCollection 2021.
A growing body of research has evaluated the effect of university tobacco-free policies on faculty and staff, however, none of these studies has been carried out in the Eastern Mediterranean Region. This study evaluates changes in faculty and staff attitudes, perceptions and smoking behavior, at 1 year post adoption of a tobacco-free policy in a medium-sized university in Lebanon and the region.
Two cross-sectional surveys were conducted in 2017 and 2018: baseline and at 1 year post policy implementation. A random sample of 625 and 624 participants took part in the 2017 and 2018 studies, respectively.
Faculty and staff had a positive attitude towards the policy at the two time points. The belief that there should be exceptions to the policy significantly decreased from 79% to 59% (p=0.002) among all smokers, particularly those with lower educational attainment (81% to 57%, p=0.007). Perception of compliance among peer smokers increased from 73% to 87% (p=0.009). The proportion of smokers did not significantly change at 1 year post policy implementation, however, 44% of smokers with lower educational attainment, compared to only 7% of those with higher educational attainment (p<0.001), reported a decrease in their smoking behavior outside campus.
The policy had a positive effect on the attitude, behavior and perception of policy benefits among smokers with lower educational attainment, who constitute the majority of smokers. Findings from this study inform and support future efforts to develop university and workplace tobacco-free policies.
越来越多的研究评估了大学无烟政策对教职员工的影响，然而，这些研究均未在东地中海地区开展。本研究评估了黎巴嫩一所中型大学及该地区实施无烟政策一年后教职员工的态度、认知和吸烟行为的变化。
于2017年和2018年进行了两次横断面调查：基线调查和政策实施一年后的调查。分别有625名和624名参与者的随机样本参与了2017年和2018年的研究。
在两个时间点，教职员工对该政策都持积极态度。在所有吸烟者中，认为该政策应有例外的比例从79%显著降至59%（p = 0.002），尤其是受教育程度较低的吸烟者（从81%降至57%，p = 0.007）。对同伴吸烟者遵守政策情况的认知从73%升至87%（p = 0.009）。政策实施一年后，吸烟者的比例没有显著变化，然而，44%受教育程度较低的吸烟者报告其在校外的吸烟行为有所减少，相比之下，受教育程度较高的吸烟者中只有7%（p < 0.001）报告有此变化。
该政策对受教育程度较低的吸烟者（构成吸烟者的大多数）的态度、行为和对政策益处的认知产生了积极影响。本研究结果为未来制定大学和工作场所无烟政策的努力提供了信息并给予支持。
