ERIC Number: EJ992073
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2013-Feb
Pages: 12
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0268-1153
EISSN: N/A
Social Norms and Smoking Bans on Campus: Interactions in the Canadian University Context
Procter-Scherdtel, Amy; Collins, Damian
Health Education Research, v28 n1 p101-112 Feb 2013
Smoking bans offer practical protection against environmental tobacco smoke and highlight the decreasing normative status of smoking. At Canadian universities, indoor smoking is now completely prohibited, but regulations vary with respect to outdoor smoking. The purpose of this research was to conceptualize the interactions of smoking bans on campus with changing social norms around smoking. Interviews were conducted with 36 key informants, exploring the development and normative significance of smoking bans at three case study institutions. Five key themes were identified in the transcripts. First, universities were understood as community leaders and role models. Second, they were viewed as institutions with a mandate to promote health. Third, students were generally perceived to view smoke-free environments and lifestyles as normative. Fourth, respondents also acknowledged that students remain vulnerable to social and behavioural influences that can encourage smoking. Finally, they articulated bans' normative effects: restricting where smoking occurs on campus may discourage initiation and support cessation. Our findings suggest that health-promoting policies, such as smoking bans, can be motivated by changes in social norms and that their implementation reinforces this norm shift. Moreover, the contextual and compositional characteristics of universities mean they are uniquely placed to adopt such initiatives.
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Interviews, Case Studies, Smoking, College Environment, Social Behavior, Behavior Standards, Social Change, College Role, Student Attitudes, Educational Policy, Community Leaders, Role Models, Health Promotion, Prevention, Health Behavior, Public Health, Program Effectiveness
Oxford University Press. Great Clarendon Street, Oxford OX2 6DP, UK. Tel: +44-1865-353907; Fax: +44-1865-353485; e-mail: jnls.cust.serv@oxfordjournals.org; Web site: http://her.oxfordjournals.org/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Canada
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A